Tenshi no Ryuu 2: Densetsu wo Jakunenmono
by LG65
Summary: X-over of "Ryu ga Gotoku 4: Densetsu wo Tsugumono" & "Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza". Four former students of the Hakujou Private Academy make a difference in the dangerous red-light district of Kamurocho. M for violence, language and themes.
1. E1C1: The Mysterious Shopkeeper

(A/N: The title literally means "The Angelic Dragon 2: The Legendary Youngsters." Even though this is "Chapter 1" here on FF, the entire fanfiction will be divided into episodes. So... Chapters 1-4 will be Episode 1, 5-8 will be Episode 2, 9-12 will be Episode 3 and 13-16 will be Episode 4 with 17 being the finale. This will be like the style of "Ryu ga Gotoku 4: Densetsu wo Tsugumono".

Episode 1 will focus on Shiina Amamiya. For those who don't know who she is, here's a short description:

"Shiina is a girl who participated in the London Piano Contest with Haruka Nogizaka; Shiina ranked second before Haruka who ranked first. She transfers into Yuuto Ayase's class at school. Her hobbies include playing the piano and the martial art of Naginatajutsu She always has a positive, cheerful and sociable personality. This makes her transition as a transfer student very easy. She used to live in Otaru in Hokkaido, though does not speak much of those days. She shows an interest for Yuuto as she believes there might be a reason they constantly bump into each other. She said one of the reason she chose Yuuto's school to transfer to is because of a famous teacher who graduated from the school and is known as the _Performer of the Sunset_ is teaching at the school."

Two years ago (in my previous fic, "Tenshi no Ryuu: Purezza"), she was captured by a Hitman, but Yuuto arrived in time to save her. Since then, she took on a mission with Yuuto to save Haruka from the fate of the Hitmen and she was successful. Now, she has her own Naginata, piano and costume rental store in the heart of Kamurocho.

So... let the story begin of how four youngsters made a huge difference in Kamurocho.)

Episode 1: The Angelic Unicorn

(第一部: 天使の麒麟)

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Shopkeeper

(一章: 謎の商人)

It's a quiet night in the red-light district of Tokyo known as Kamurocho, where ordinary citizens walk around and enjoy their evening. It is also the place where both street hoodlums and yakuza gangsters roam around. It is also a place where there lay a shop above the streets of Kamurocho. The shop itself is named "NPC".

In the office are Naginata Spears, a Piano along with a catalogue beside it, and a closet full of costumes for cosplay events. And right near the window is a small desk with a computer and a photo on the front of it. In the middle of the office are a small sofa and a table. Lying on the sofa, reading a gossip magazine is a young red-haired girl in her old Hakujou Private Academy uniform.

She read an article closely and said, "A serial killer? Here? Gee… That's scary."

She tosses the magazine away with the article she was reading facing upward. She then rolled to her right and went to sleep. And then… it happened.

The office phone rang. Unfortunately, she didn't hear it. She began tossing and turning. The office phone rang a number of times. She still did not move. Then, silence fills the office space, until… her red cell phone rang. She began to turn around. She got upset as she awakened and said, "Aww! Are you kidding me?"

Then, she noticed the phone caller's ID. "Hmm… Ryoko-chan?" she said

She then picked up her phone. "Hello?" she began

"Finally! You picked up!" the person on the other line said, "Hey! Where are you right now?"

"Huh?" The red-haired girl said, "Oh… I just stepped out for a bit. Why? What's up?"

"You're a liar, aren't you?" The other person said, "You're still at the office, aren't you? Why don't you answer your phone, for crying out loud!"

Then, there was silence from the red-haired girl as she moved the phone from her ear. "Hey! Are you listening to me?" the person on the other line cried, and then said to herself, "The connection must be awful or something…"

Then she cried out, "Shiina-cchi! Shiina-cchi! Are you around?"

"Yes, yes!" Shiina answers, "I'm still around. I'm sorry about that. So, anyway… do you need anything?"

"Do I need something?" the other person said, "Isn't it obvious that I need something?"

"OK, OK. I understand." Shiina said, "I'm sorry. So, what is it?"

"Hmm…" the person on the other line said, "Do you know what today is?"

"Umm… Gee… I'm not sure." Shiina said, "Is it your birthday?"

"NO!" the person cried out, "Read the calendar on the wall!"

Shiina got up and walked over to the calendar near the wall. Today was June 11th, 2010. It is marked as "Collections Day". "Oh, I see!" Shiina cried out, "It's collections day."

"Please don't forget days like these!" The other person said,

"Come on! I didn't forget!" Shiina protested as she walked around the office, "It's just that… well… something made me think twice about heading out…"

"Something?" the other person said, "What is that 'something'?"

"I mean…" Shiina said and opened her window. "It might be raining today."

Unfortunately, there was no rain falling from the sky as people were walking around Tenkaichi Street. "The rain, you say?" the other person said, "It stopped already!"

Shiina sighs. The other person said, "Please take care of it, OK? I'll return after I get my special kalbi lunch over at Kanrai. Take care!" And she hung up.

Shiina just shook her head, hung up her phone and left the office to take care of collecting back the missing weapons, costumes and money for piano and the aforementioned weapon and costume rentals.

Shiina walked outside and down the steps that connect to her office. She walked around the alleyway right out to Tenkaichi Street. Then… she felt raindrops. She sighed and said, "So much for a good day out here."

Then, she thought, "I guess I can head over to the Hotel District and start from there."

She ran north on Tenkaichi Street and greeted a lot of people. They waved back at Shiina. She ran north slightly past Volcano. Just before she could do anything, three street punks saw her. One noticed her and said, "Well, well what have we here? Ain't this Amamiya from NPC?"

Another unsavoury man approached her and said, "Looks like business is good today and fine such as a woman like you. You out collecting?"

"Those boys are collectors from loan sharks." Shiina thought, "This might be trouble…"

"Hey! You guys are from Loans Kamuro!" Shiina greeted politely, "How are you boys?"

The first punk named Kobayashi replied, "Thanks to you, business has died off for us. You're a real nuisance."

Another punk named Itou cried, "That's right! And what's this I hear about how you make weapon, piano and costume loans with rates that you can't even make any fuckin' money on? You're stealing all our clients!"

Takahashi, a third punk, agreed, saying, "I mean… we're both shopkeepers of the same class… How 'bout we just play by the rules and we'll all get along, you know?"

"Rules?" Shiina replied and then giggles, "What do you mean? You boys aren't LEGITIMATE shopkeepers of the same class, so you don't have any rules, right? What's more is… I'm not like you guys. I don't force people into stuff. I don't make threats… Aren't you boys causing trouble for your clients? Hmm? So… in a sense, I'd say it's YOU who's the nuisance here!"

Takahashi then cried out, "Goddamn… listen to you! My, aren't we fuckin' preachy today?"

"Oh! And another thing." Shiina said, "Would you mind not lumping me in with moneygrubbers like you?"

Kobayashi cried, "Listen, bitch! We don't like hitting little girls, but don't fuck with us!"

Itou then cried out, "I've been sick of your ass for a long time! I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!"

Shiina then got into her new fighting stance, in which she is standing tall. "Let's see what I've got now…" she thought and then did a quick kick with her left foot, one with her right foot, a quick axe kick with her right foot and rapid-fire kicks at Kobayashi. Then, she went to perform a quick kick and a horizontal spin kick shot at Itou. Then, she tried her two quick kick and a squat and axe kick with her left leg on Kobayashi. Then, she tried her two quick kicks, a quick axe kick and a roundhouse kick on Takahashi. Then, she attempted her two quick kicks, a quick axe kick, her rapid-fire kicks and a rising kick shot at Itou.

"Come on, boys!" Shiina taunted, "I'm just getting warmed up!"

Then, all three men got up. Shiina grabbed Kobayashi and threw him down with a simple toss. She then ran to Itou and gave him a long kick that sent him flying. Then, she ran to Takahashi and bashed him with two punches in the face and in the gut. Then, she bashed him down to the floor.

"Oh, boys!" Shiina taunted again, "I'm over here!"

All three men got up… and they were pissed. Kobayashi tried a slow punch, but it caught air. Shiina finished him off with her set of harsh kicks. Itou was then taken out with Shiina's set of harsh kicks, ending with a roundhouse shot. Then, Takahashi was defeated by Shiina's set of quick and rapid-fire kicks.

The three men could not get up anymore. "In both lending and fighting, it's essential to be able to appraise your target." Shiina said,

Kobayashi growled. Itou then cried, "S-Shit! You'll regret this!" All three men ran away.

"Time to go." Shiina thought and ran up north to the Hotel District. Then, she walked for a bit as she got a bit tired… until she noticed a familiar white-haired girl in gothic-like clothing running north and heading into a building called "Kanemura Industries, Inc."

"Hey…" Shiina thought, "Isn't that Tennoji from Kanemura Industries? She's sure in a hurry. Something might not be right… she seemed angry. I'll go after the loan money later. I'm going to see what's going on."

Shiina watched on as the white-haired girl, named Touka Tennoji, ran up the stairs and into the office of Kanemura Industries. She was panting as she was running and went inside. Two men noticed her and one with a leopard-style purple shirt said, "Hey! Welcome back!"

The man noticed that Touka was dripping wet. "Gee, aniki! You're wet!" the man cried out

Touka continued to pant then she sat down on a couch. She then asked, "Where's Asahina?"

"Ah." The purple shirt man said, "Asahina is meeting up with the head of the Shibata Family to check out that building over there." He turned his head around to point at a large skyscraper-like building in progress.

Touka sighs then said, "Kamurocho Hills, huh?"

"That's right." The man said, "According to our boss, he has to use any means necessary to make himself known to the head of the Majima Family before construction can begin." He tried to find some candy for Touka to chew on. He found a lollipop for her.

She sucked on it for a bit. "To get in good with those up top, huh?" she said. Then, she hung her head low. Then, she cried, "Shit!" She tossed the lollipop out of her mouth and hit the rim of a garbage can before hitting the floor. She then sighed.

The purple shirt man made a motion to his cohort to leave for a bit. Then, he asked, "Aniki, what's wrong? Did anything happen that make you upset all of a sudden?"

"Do you know that club on Shichifuku Street called 'Elnard'?" Touka asked, and then she said, "Some Ueno guys are there right now."

"Ueno?" the purple shirt man said, "You mean the boys of the Ueno Seiwa Clan, yes?"

"Correct." Touka replied as she got a towel from the yellow shirt man, "Two of them have been drinking since eight in the evening."

"I see." The purple shirt man said, "But, I mean… They're just drinking, right? It's not like they can cause trouble or anything like that…"

"You idiot." Touka replied, "Them being there is, in itself, a problem."

"Why is that?" The purple shirt man asked,

Touka sighs then asked, "You heard that the Ueno and our parent organization are 'allies', yes?"

"Er… Yes." The purple shirt man answers, "I read it in a gossip magazine a while back."

"Well, truth is… they're not really equals or anything like that." Touka said, "Since they're 'allies' to each other, the Tojo Clan won't come near the Ueno Seiwa Clan's territory. The reason for this is because the Ueno Seiwa pays them off in the form of a monthly 'donation'."

"What?" the purple shirt man cried, "Really?"

"On the surface, they definitely look like allies." Touka continued, "But, to be honest, they're just under the same umbrella as us. Think of it like this… the Tojo Clan is like Canada and the Ueno Seiwa Clan is like America. It's in a way… like that."

"Hm? Uh…" the purple shirt man said, "I'm sorry, but I really don't understand what you're telling me."

"You dumbass!" Touka shouted then she put her hand over head. She said, "You know what? Forget it… Even if we knew this as a third-rate organization, there isn't much we can do, right?"

"Hey, aniki…" The purple shirt man said.

"Hm?" Touka replied

"Going back to what you said before…" the man asked, "If those boys above have that kind of relationship with the Ueno Seiwa Clan, then, like… what's the problem?"

"Huh?" Touka cried out

The man stammered and said, "I mean… the Tojo Clan and the Ueno Seiwa Clan are allies, right? So then, it's fine if they drink at our zone, because in turn, they're part of the Tojo, right?"

Touka put on an angry face and kicked the table. "You moron!" she shouted, "Didn't you hear what I was talking about earlier? This is why I can never use you for shit!"

Then the door opened. Shiina stuck her head out, lollipop in her mouth, saying, "Hi!"

"Ah." Touka said, "Amamiya." She stood up as Shiina walked in. "Good evening."

Shiina shut the door. "Did I come in at a bad time? I should be heading out." She said

"No, no. It's fine." Touka smiled, "Come in. Have a seat."

Shiina walked on to sit on a couch. "Today's collections day for rental money, you know." She said, "So, as I went around picking up the money, I wanted to drop by and see how Kanemura's doing. But… seems like he isn't in today, yes?"

"Y-Yeah." Touka said, somewhat hesitantly, "He's out on business today."

"I see." Shiina said, "And Asahina…? She's not in, either?"

"Er, yeah." Touka answers, "Asahina is out with the head of the Shibata Family."

"Hm. I see." Shiina chuckles. Silence filled the room for a moment.

"Well," Shiina said, finally breaking the ice, "Shall we go on to what you guys were talking about just now?"

"Huh?" Touka said

"You know, why do you guys think the Ueno Seiwa guys drinking on your zone is an issue?" Shiina asked, and then she said, "Shouldn't you explain it to these boys?"

"You were listening to us?" Touka cried

"Gee…" Shiina said, "You were talking so loud that the people within a single block radius could hear you."

"Oh, gee!" Touka cried, "That was a bit embarrassing. I apologize."

Then, Shiina pointed at the purple shirt man. "Hey, kid." She said,

"Yes?" the man asked

"Are you new to the group?" Shiina asked,

"Hm?" The man answered, "Oh yes! I've been with them for three months."

"I see." Shiina said, "So… up until a year or so ago, you were involved in petty thefts and robberies around here in Kamurocho?"

"Well… Yes." The man answers,

"And then you wanted to be like Asahina, so you entered the yakuza world, yes?" Shiina asked

"Yeah. That's true." The man answered.

"I see." Shiina said, and then giggles, "You did, huh?"

"Er… Amamiya." Touka said,

"Yes?" Shiina asked,

"If you've got some business with our boss, I'll let him know to get in touch with you." Touka said,

"What?" Shiina said, "Are you asking me to leave?"

"No! It's not that." Touka chuckles, "It's just… well… I mean, I don't know if we'll hear back from our boss. Also, we've got tons of things to do."

"'Tons of things', huh?" Shiina said, "OK… OK. All right, then." Then, she got up.

Shiina headed towards the door, but stopped for a moment and faced the purple shirt man. "Gee… All hell will break loose after what happened today…" she said,

"Huh?" The man asked

Shiina then spoke, "You know why it's bad when guys from a lower organization go drinking on your territory of the guys up top in your line of business? Whether they're directly under the top dogs or just 'allies' under them, it's all the same thing. So… let's say you wanted to take a drink right now, yes? You don't want to come near the Shibata Family territory – the land of the boss of your boss, Kanemura, would you? Like some sort of big shot?"

"N-No!" the man cried, "That's crazy!"

"That's correct!" Shiina cried, "It would be crazy! If you did, then that would be a big embarrassment to Kanemura! And you probably have no clue on how much Asahina would chew you and eat you alive! Tonight's matter is the exact same thing. These guys over at your place at this moment, the Ueno Seiwa boys... Those guys are breaking their promise that they would never set foot in the Tojo's territory and coming to Kamurocho, all dangling their yakuza family crests around like that... Gee... What a mess this would be! Do you know what that means?"

"Come on, Amamiya." Touka said, "Let it be."

"What DOES it mean...?" The purple shirt man asked

"What that means is..." Shiina said, "That they're looking down at lowly Kanemura Industries!"

The man's expression changed. "What?" he said, in a slightly angry tone

"Those Ueno boys must think that so long as it's Kanemura territory, they can go and raise hell, no problem!" Shiina said, "Even a third-rate group like Kanemura, which is under the Shibata Family, who themselves are under the Tojo Clan... even you guys shouldn't be treated like this!"

Then, the purple-shirt man walked to Shiina and said in an angry tone, "Wait a minute, bitch. Are you fucking mocking us?"

Shiina looked at the serious face of the purple-shirt man. Silence filled the room for a minute, until... Shiina chuckled. "You're finally taking this the right way, huh?" she said, and then she turned to Touka, "I apologize, Tennoji-chan. I got a little carried away and said a bit too much."

Touka bowed slightly. Shiina turned back to the purple-shirt man. She said, "That's the spirit of a yakuza!"

"What do you mean?" The man asked,

"A yakuza isn't measured by the size of his crest." Shiina said, "A man who is never angry when people make fun of his own crest is worthless! I've learned that lesson two years ago. Isn't that true, Tennoji-chan?"

"Well... yes." Touka replied,

Then, Shiina turned back to the purple-shirt man. "Make sure you keep it up, for the sake of peace here in Kamurocho!" she smiled, "If you guys don't do your job, my business will slump! Yes?"

The man responded, "S-Sure."

"All right, then." Shiina said, "I'm going to leave now. Take care, guys!"

Then, she went through the door. But, before she went out, she turned around and said, "Oh, hey! Another thing, Tennoji-chan!"

"Yes?" Touka asked

"Let Kanemura know..." Shiina began and walked back in momentarily, "A yakuza that is not upset when people make fun of him or his family is NOT a yakuza! I'm not lending my equipment and costumes in exchange for the Tojo's fees for such "pretend yakuza"! And let him know to uphold the "condition" that we settled on when I gave him a custom-made Naginata spear! OK?"

Touka hung her head down slightly. Then, Shiina said, "Take care." And she left the office, shutting the door behind her.

Touka sighed and flopped down on the sofa. A door opens. In came a man who is somewhat overweight, has a near Afro on his head and is wearing a turtleneck under his suit. "B-Boss!" the purple-shirt man cried, "You were here all this time?"

"Yeah, I was here." their boss, Kanemura, replied as he walked to the sofa.

"Er... For how long...?" the man asked

He slowly sat down. Touka bowed to him. Kanemura then asked, "Did that bitch Amamiya leave?"

"Yeah..." Touka replied

Kanemura grunted as he got out a cigarette. Touka had a special cylinder-shaped lighter ready for him and lit up the cigarette. Kanemura smoked for a bit. Then, he said, "She's right, though. We do have a problem. What's going on with this thing with the Ueno guys that you were talking about?"

"I'll get ahold of Asahina right away." Touka replied,

"But... isn't Asahina out with the head of the Shibata Family right now?" Kanemura asked

"I'll keep calling until I reach her." Touka said,

"OK, then..." Kanemura replied,

"What'll we do if those Ueno guys get out of hand?" Touka asked,

"True..." Kanemura said, "What will we do?"

"I think we should try to keep things from getting too rough." Touka suggested,

"Yeah..." Kanemura agreed,

"I do believe that Asahina can get things settled in a peaceful way." Touka comforted,

"Yeah..." Kanemura said, "Anyway, I don't want things to get out of hand. Tell Asahina I'm counting on her." Kanemura then got up to leave.

"Yes, boss." Touka replied and bowed as he went back to his room in the back. The two men behind her bowed down as well. Then, they all stood up. Touka then sat down. "Say, uh..." the purple-shirt man said,

"Hm?" Touka said,

"Just who is that "Amamiya" gal?" the man asked

"Oh... her." Touka replied

"Her name is Shiina Amamiya. She's 18 years old. She is running a loaning place called "NPC" on Tenkaichi Street. They call her "the Angelic Unicorn". She'll make loans to her equipment to people other people of her kind don't."

"Is she a loan shark?" the purple-shirt man asked

"Well, if you asked her, she'd deny being a loan shark, but she does what others do. If you ask what the difference is, I assume her loans' 'conditions' are different than other people of her kind."

"Conditions?" the man asked, "Like... she does a special background check or something?"

"Yes. In order to test people wanting to borrow her Naginata spears, her costumes and her pianos at NPC, she makes them agree to special 'conditions' before lending them their items. These 'conditions' include volunteering at senior centres, and helping out at her old school, the Hakujou Private Academy. Weird stuff... I'd say."

"What does she get out of that?"

"I don't have a clue. What's more, some say she doesn't even put interest on her loans."

"So, then... how does this girl, Amamiya, do to make a living?"

"Yes. It's almost like an urban legend or something. In reality, there's gotta be some way she's making her money. She's always going around, keeping an eye on everything to make sure her borrowers don't run off... just like how she came by our place tonight."

"What a mysterious shopkeeper!"

"Well, I can't say for sure what's going on in that head of hers anyway. But, if someone borrows her gear from her once, they won't borrow from her again."

"Why's that?"

"I don't have a clue, either! Either way, I think you should stay away from her."

Shiina went downstairs and went inside the M Store on Shichifuku Street. She bought her usual groceries of bread, rice and lots of pop. She paid her money to her groceries right after. She then went to West Park just on the east edge of town and sat on the bench. She took out a photo. In that, there are three girls standing near the entrance of Tenkaichi Street. Shiina was one of them, along with a green ponytail-haired girl and a brunette girl. They were all smiling that they claimed a shop two years ago.

Then, she noticed a man in a blue suit with grey hair and sunglasses. He was walking under the umbrella that a young brunette girl in a blue business suit was holding. The brunette girl opened a limousine door for the grey-haired man. The man went inside and sat on his seat. The brunette girl shut the door.

The window rolled down. The grey-haired man said, "Thank you very much for accompanying me."

The brunette girl replied, "Not at all."

The grey-haired man continued looking at the big skyscraper, Kamurocho Hills, "Well, I guess it was worth it just to see how that building is up close."

Then, there was vibration. The grey-haired man asked, "Hm? Is that your cell phone?"

"I'm sorry." The brunette girl replied,

"It's OK." The grey-haired man said, "Anyway, good job out there today. Go get yourself something good to eat." He handed the brunette girl some money.

"Thank you very much, Shibata Kumicho." the brunette girl replied and took the money.

"Take care." the Shibata Family patriarch replied. She then bowed as the window rolled down and the limousine drove off.

The brunette girl stood up. She heard the vibration again from her cell phone. She then picked it up. "This is Asahina." she said and paused for a minute, then she said, "I understand. Elnard, right? I'm on my way."

Shiina looked on as what appears to be one of her best friends is heading off to Elnard to take care of the Ueno Seiwa problem.

Shiina thought, "Something must be up at Elnard. I have to go see what's up." Shiina ran south for a bit on the alleyway up to Shichifuku Street. Sure enough, Elnard was straight ahead. She walked up to a waiter. He said, "Coming in the club tonight, ma'am?"

"Huh?" Shiina said, "Yeah, I am. So...?"

"I'm sorry, but we've got a bit of trouble brewing." the waiter said, "It might not be best to walk in tonight."

"Trouble, huh?" Shiina said

"Yes." the waiter said, "I'm afraid some problems have come up. Seems some guests got a little too drunk and are tearing things up in there."

"I see." Shiina said, "That's fine. I'm on my way inside."

"What?" the waiter cried, "What? M-Ma'am! Wait!" But it was too late. Shiina boarded the elevator inside Elnard.

Elnard's interior is small as there's a row full of tables and a small bar in front of the club. At a few tables, two men are harassing the cabaret club girls. One brown-haired and purple suit man, named Ihara, yelled to a waiter, "Hey you! Where are those 100 bottles of champagne I ordered? It's been over ten minutes!"

His blonde cohort in a leopard-spotted shirt, named Mishima, said, "Does this place have to send out to the liquor store every time a customer orders a drink?"

"Those guys?" Shiina said, "Are they the ones causing trouble?"

"Yeah, it's them." a waiter said, "They've been like that for hours. The other guests all took off."

Shiina walked over. "H-Hey!" The waiter cried, "Ms. Amamiya! Stop!"

Ihara noticed Shiina walking by. "Huh?" He said, "What's your deal?"

She looked around at their tables. Sure enough, there were a lot of empty bottles. She then said, "Oh, gee! You drank so much expensive stuff! When you get stuff like this at a place like this, they'd probably quadruple the price!" She picked the bottle up.

"Who're you?" Ihara asked, and then said, "You don't look like a cabaret girl..."

Shiina shook the bottle. It was empty, but she managed to get a drop in. She licked her hand. She then said, "Wow! That's good stuff! How could you just waste a drink this good by just guzzling it down like that? A self-respecting drinker wouldn't do such a thing!"

"Hey! Don't you ignore me!" Ihara cried, "You trying to piss me off?"

"Hm?" Shiina replied,

Mishima jumped in, saying, "We asked who you are and where you're from, goddamn it!" He stood up in anger. Shiina continued to try to find a drop in a bottle.

Mishima picked up a bottle and yelled, "What the fuck's wrong with you, bitch?" He rushed at Shiina with the bottle in hand, but he missed his swing. Shiina smashed the empty bottle at Mishima causing him to faint on a cabaret club girl. The girls screamed out loud and left Elnard in a hurry.

"How lucky for you, kid!" Shiina cries, "I'm gonna be your opponent. If I were a gangster, then it would lead to war, right?"

"Wh-What's going on?" Ihara cried, and got up. "This isn't how they said it would be!"

"Hm?" Shiina said, "Who's 'they'?"

Then, a door opened. "Amamiya!" someone cried. It was Touka Tennoji. "What are you doing?" she cried

"Are you alone?" Shiina asked

"Y-Yes!" Touka cried, "It'll be a while before Asahina arrives!"

"I see." Shiina said

"The fuck are you girls babbling about?" Ihara cried then he put the pieces together, "Ohh... I get it. You're trying to gang up on me to start a war, eh?"

"What have you been on all this time?" Shiina asked

"SHUT UP!" Ihara yelled, "You try it and we'll strike back! I dunno who the fuck you bitches are, but we'll kill every one of you!"

"Who the fuck do you think you are, getting all high-and-mighty in someone else's land, motherfucker?" Touka stuck back, and walked towards Ihara

"Stay out of this!" Shiina yelled,

"Huh?" Touka cried

"This is my fight!" Shiina yelled, "This thing here is strictly between me and them! This doesn't have anything to do with Kanemura or Ueno."

"Amamiya..." Touka said,

Ihara then said, "Heh! What have we here? Guess you figured out who we are!"

Then, Shiina tossed a business card. It had her "NPC" logo in red, green and brown letters. Her name is on it. "I'm a Naginata spear, piano and costume loaner. I have an office in town called "NPC"." Shiina said

Ihara looked on. Shiina then said, "I picked this fight just because I wanted to. I don't like your ugly faces, so I smashed him, that's all. It's got nothing to do with your gangs."

"You motherfucker!" Ihara cried, "You sure do run your mouth a lot!"

"Hmph." Shiina said, "Right on, kid. You're really feeling it now, huh? Looks like I'm in for a real battle here. It's been far too long."

"Goddamn, you're annoying." Ihara said, "Fine! I'll take your fuckin' obvious bait!"

"I'm ready." Shiina said as she got into her stance, "Are you?"

"Let's go, you little bitch!" Ihara yells

Shiina rushed at Ihara and slammed him with her two quick kicks, her quick axe kick and a harsh roundhouse kick. Ihara got up and he got hit with two quick kicks and a squat and axe kick, which dropped him.

Ihara got mad as he got up. He delivered three quick punches to Shiina, which dropped her. "Oww! That hurt!" she cried as she got up

She slammed him with her roundhouse kick combo strike, which consisted of her two quick kicks, her quick axe kick and her roundhouse shot. She gave Ihara an extra kick while he was down. Shiina grabbed a table and slammed Ihara with it multiple times before it broke. Then, she swayed in front of Ihara and smashed him with her rising kick combo shot, which had her twin quick kicks, her quick axe kick, her rapid-fire kicks and a rising kick shot. But she did one rapid-fire kick before she did her rising kick.

"Come on!" Shiina taunted as Ihara got up. Ihara gave her a kick in the gut, which dropper her slowly.

"What have you got now, huh?" Ihara cried as she got up

Shiina tried her quick kick and then her arc kick on Ihara's gut. Then, she slammed him with her roundhouse kick combo. She grabbed a table and continued to slam Ihara with it.

The table broke after three hits. Shiina then continued to pound Ihara with a flurry of kicks. She managed to block his punches, but got hit with a short kick. Shiina then countered back with her roundhouse kick combo strike. Ihara got up slowly.

He grabbed a big potted plant and broke Shiina's guard by swinging it at her. Shiina struck back with her squat and axe kick combo strike, which consisted of her two quick kicks and her squat and axe kick. Ihara blocked the first two kicks, but was quickly dropped by the axe kick. Shiina picked a seat and waited for Ihara to get up. Once he got up, she smashed the seat on his head and punched him seven times in the gut before letting loose one in the face.

Ihara got up and swayed to the right. Once both fighters were positioned near the front door of the club, Ihara rushed at Shiina and grabbed her pretty waist. Shiina yelped and tried to break free, but Ihara ran and tossed her to the wall... But, Shiina bounced off the wall and slammed Ihara's upper body with her right knee for the finish!

Ihara fainted as he fell on his front. Shiina walked forward and picked up a napkin. She wiped her left hand for a bit. Then, she noticed the brunette girl from back in West Park. "Aniki…!" Touka said as the brunette girl showed up

Shiina looked at her best friend, Mai Asahina, who is looking at the downed members of the Ueno Seiwa Clan. She had uncomfortable feelings about her leaving her behind and not catching up on things. "Are these the boys from the Ueno Seiwa Clan?" Mai asked,

Mai then walked to Shiina. "Mai-chan…" Shiina said, slowly, "You're a bit late, you know."

"Well… you still have it, Shiina-chan." Mai replied, "No yakuza can match the power of NPC."

Shiina looked down sadly and said, "I'm sorry, Mai-chan. For doing this without thinking of you guys. Those boys just rubbed me the wrong way, you know."

Then, Mai gave Shiina a "Clumsy Akichan" lollipop. Shiina was reluctant to accept it at first, since she had an unlucky past with her. The three best friends of the Hakujou Private Academy, which consisted of Shiina, Mai and Ryoko, always hung out together. Mai was usually the shy and quiet girl, while Ryoko is considered loud and boisterous. All three would feel a sense of comfort around each other, but since graduation, it seems that this would not last forever.

Shiina decided to take it for Mai's sake and she began to suck on it. "That's it, Mai…" Shiina said, now feeling a bit happy, "You always knew what I had in mind."

"That's the first thing I learned when I got into this business." Mai replied, "If I wasn't ready with some candy for my old friends, my elders would hit me upside the head."

"That's not what I meant." Shiina said,

"Huh?" Mai replied,

"Aren't you going to ask me why I picked a fight with these guys?" Shiina asked,

Mai then answered, "It had something with the 'condition' you gave to our boss when you gave him the Naginata Spear, yes?"

Shiina giggles and said, "See? You knew, right?"

"That's true." Mai replied, "You would never lend your equipment or costumes to just about anyone… not even our boss… without a 'condition', right? I imagine that's what we were taught."

"Do you know what that "condition" is?" Shiina asked

"Well…" Mai began, "I didn't hear it from the boss himself, but… you've asked Kanemura to retire, right?"

Shiina nods. Touka gave a surprised look. Then, Shiina said, "You know… I think you have it in you, Mai-chan… to make it as far as 'the Angelic Dragon'. I see that potential in you."

"You give me too much credit, Shiina-chan." Mai replied, "The young patriarch of the Ayase Family and I… we're both on the opposite sides of the spectrum from the beginnings of our careers in this life. Inheriting Kanemura Industries isn't going to change that."

"That's not true, Mai-chan." Shiina said, "I mean… I got to where I am now when we were given a piece of paper after graduation."

"Oh, yeah…" Mai replied, "That's true. I forgot about that."

"Chances like these suddenly rain down on us in life." Shiina said, "What's important is whether or not you can take advantage of them and use them to get ahead, you know?"

Mai then nodded. Shiina continued, "Even if it's just a third-ranked group of a big yakuza clan like the Tojo, a boss position is still a boss position. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt your chances of rising up, right? I experienced that feeling when someone took that chance. You should take it seriously."

Touka then gasped. Shiina and Mai noticed Ihara getting up… with a pistol in hand. "F-Fuck!" Ihara cried

Ihara raised his pistol. "What the fuck…?" Shiina cried, but Mai held her arm up.

"Shiina-chan." Mai said, "Sorry, but this is my job."

Mai then stared down at Ihara. "What are you planning to do, huh?" she said calmly, "Are you going to shoot me?" She then paused. "Are you brave enough to shoot me?" Ihara grunted in fear. Mai continued, "If you shoot, our clan's gonna have no choice, but to retaliate. But… If you calm down now and just leave, it'll be like this never happened. What do you say, hmm?"

Ihara growled and cried, "Who do you think you are? This is a matter of the Ueno Seiwa's pride!"

"I'm well aware." Mai said, "But… if you shoot, then I shoot." Ihara grunted.

"I'm not going to ask why you were drinking here." Mai continued, "So, come on… give me the gun."

Ihara yelled, "Stay back! Stay back!"

Mai moved forward with her hand out, in a calm manner. Her expression is serious, but calm at the same time. Shiina noticed this that her best friend is a changed person in a way. Touka noticed this as well. Finally, Mai got close to Ihara and was able to lower the pistol and his arms until… BANG!

Mai kneeled down in pain. "Aniki! Aniki!" Touka cried as she ran to her 'sister', "Aniki! Are you OK? Aniki!" Shiina joined her.

Ihara looked around then said, "Fuck this!" He ran to Mishima. "Let's get out of here, Mishima!" He then carried the fainted Mishima.

"I-I'm OK…" Mai said, still wounded on the chest, "It just grazed my side. I'll be fine… just go after them!"

"Shit!" Touka cried as she saw the two Ueno Seiwa members escape.

"Tennoji!" Mai cried,

"Yeah?" Touka responded,

"Don't worry about me! Just go after those guys!" Mai cried out,

"Y-Yeah! OK!" Touka replied and ran after the men

Mai got up and yelled, "Hey, Tennoji!" She paused as Touka turned around. "Listen, if you catch them, don't do anything reckless, understand?"

"OK!" Touka cried and ran out of the door.

Shiina helped Mai up. Mai then said, "I'm really sorry about all this, Shiina-chan."

"No." Shiina replied, "I'm the one who should apologize."

"No, no." Mai replied back, "I know what you were really doing here."

Shiina was silent… until the phone rang on Mai's cell phone. Mai picked it up. "Hello?" she began, "Really…? I understand, it's OK. I'll go and look for them now." She then hung up.

"Was that Tennoji-chan?" Shiina asked,

"That's right." Mai responded,

"I see." Shiina replied,

"I have to go now." Mai replied, somewhat sadly now that she'll separate from her best friend for a while.

"OK." Shiina said, "Say 'hello' to Kanemura for me. Tell him not to forget my 'condition', OK?"

"All right, then." Mai said in a cheerful tone and limped out of the door. Shiina then sat down for a bit to recollect her thoughts on what just happened now. She then smiled that soon Mai Asahina will be the new matriarch of Kanemura Industries. She then left Elnard.

As soon as Shiina went outside, her phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello?" She said,

"Finally!" a girl cried out on the other line.

"Oh! Ryoko-chan!" Shiina cried, knowing that it's her second best friend and co-worker at NPC, Ryoko Sawamura.

"Boss Shinacchi!" Ryoko yelled, "Do you know how many times I called you just now?" She then paused and yelled, "30 times! PLEASE answer your phone!"

"OK…" Shiina said, "I'm really sorry. So… what's going on?"

"Please come back to the office right away!" Ryoko cried out, "Do you know how long since you went out and got our money?"

"Hm?" Shiina said, "How long has it been?"

"It's been four hours!" Ryoko yelled, "Four hours!"

"Wow… That long." Shiina admitted,

"Do you even know what time it is, Boss Shinacchi?" Ryoko continued, "It's MIDNIGHT! It's 12:05 AM! It's already the next day! It's bedtime for everyone else! Do you even know that?"

"OK, OK, I get it." Shiina cried out, "I'm sorry, OK?"

Ryoko growled and cried, "You're not sorry at all!"

"No, really. I mean it." Shiina said, "I'm sorry."

"You think you can just come and go whenever you want…" Ryoko continued, "You think you can just do whatever you want? Well… as for me… I've got to be at the office by 9 in the morning, then balance the books, clean the bathrooms, call the delinquent accounts and order the food! Not to mention placing orders for all the equipment and costumes, when events like Comiket come around! I'm EXHAUSTED!"

"Well…" Shiina admitted, "We have more than enough food. I mean… we just eat it for a day then store away before it gets rotten and when it does get rotten, we toss it out."

"Whatever!" Ryoko cried, "The point is, I'm worn out!"

"All right, OK!" Shiina said, "I understand. But that's the reason why I said to you that you can leave the office for the day before I do, right? I mean… you even have the office key, right?"

"I'm trying to tell you that I CAN'T LEAVE!" Ryoko yelled,

"Why not?" Shiina cried,

"There is a scary guy in a fight outside the office… and a girl along with him!" Ryoko yelled, "And apparently one of them's got a gun! I don't wanna get mixed up in something like this!"

"A gun?" Shiina cried, now being serious, "Ryoko-chan, what do those people look like?"

"What?" Ryoko cried, "Hmm… Let's see… One of them keeps shouting something along the lines of 'Ueno'…"

"Ueno?" Shiina said,

"Yes." Ryoko cried, "Anyway, I can't go out with them there! Please hurry back and take care of this!"

"OK! I'm on my way!" Shiina cried and hung up. She raced back to NPC via the right side of the Millennium Tower. She then ran west on Taihei Boulevard. Then, she rushed back south on Tenkaichi Street. Until… she is stopped by a street punk. "Hey! You lookin' fine! Wanna hang out tonight?"

"I don't have time to hang around with the likes of you!" Shiina said,

"No?" the punk cried, "How's about we beat your pretty little ass then?"

She was grabbed from behind. He turned her around and tried a punch. Shiina easily dodged it. She then smashed the street punk with her set of kicks. She wanted to try a new move she thought of… Shiina smashed the punk's face with her right foot while he was down, making the body spin on the ground.

She then ran at all the other punks and hit them with a flurry of kicks. When one was knocked down, she crouched and taunted, "Come on! Get up!"

Then, she grabbed a punk and yelled to his face, "What? What's wrong?" She pushed him away. Ultimately, she finished off the two remaining punks with a flurry of kicks and her smashing foot in the faces.

The first punk cried, "All right! All right! I get it! You not available! Here! Take this and go!"

Shiina received a Staminan Royale from the punk. "What's this for?" she thought and then she read the label. "Staminan Royale is supposed to give you strength, energy and focus whenever you are tired and hurt."

"Nice!" she thought, "I'm keeping this!"

She raced back to the alleyway to the stairway to NPC. But, then as she traversed through the alleyway, she was walking slowly. And right at the end of the alleyway, on the vending machines is the dead body of Ihara. He was shot square in the head. There was blood on the vending machine itself. Mai was standing tall near him with her pistol in hand.

"M-Mai-chan!" Shiina cried in shock

Silence filled the area, with the exception of heavy raindrops. "Shiina-chan." Mai said.

Shiina stared at her best friend intently. "I'm sorry, but… that chance you offered me earlier…" Mai continued then she turned around, "It doesn't seem that I'm going to be able to take it."

Shiina began to tear up a bit. "Take care." Mai said and ran.

"Mai-chan!" Shiina screamed and cried in tears. It seems that in the yakuza world, there is betrayal, corruption and… treachery. It seems that these events damaged their relationship even further. Shiina knew that Mai held a good position as vice-chairman of the Naginata Discipline club at the Hakujou Private Academy, but when she is a female yakuza lieutenant of a third-rate group; it seems that being too deep in the Japanese underground can change lives.

Then… a young green-haired man in a white shirt with fox emblems on the sleeves and a red tie appeared. He was walking towards the dead body of Ihara. Shiina saw him as the young man inspected the body. "Hmm…" the man said, "A single shot in the head… No stray bullets left behind…" Then, he concluded, "This is definitely "intent to kill"."

"Aren't you planning to run?" The green-haired young man asked,

"Huh?" Shiina said,

"That girl who ran away just now was the shooter, yes?" The young man asked, "The cops will probably arrest you if you just stand there."

"Who are you?" Shiina asked,

The young man stood up and turned around. "You're an innocent bystander, right?" he said,

"Yes, actually…" Shiina answered

"There are a lot of corrupt cops on the force." The young man said, "If they catch you, they might force a confession out of you."

Then, someone cried, "Boss Shiinacchi!"

Shiina looked up at the open window. There was a young green-haired ponytail girl in her old Hakujou Private Academy uniform. "Oh, Ryoko-chan." She said

"Whoops." The young man said, "Too late."

Three female police officers arrive. One yelled, "Freeze! Don't move!"

"What?" Shiina cried, "Me?"

"I said 'Freeze'!" The officer cried again

"Hey! Come on! It wasn't me!" Shiina cried as she is restrained by the police officers.

"It's useless to resist!" Another cop cried,

"Sugiuchi's interrogations are not an easy thing, so give it your all. Good luck!" The young cop said, "Take care." And then he left.

"Wait!" Shiina cried, "Who's Sugiuchi? Tell me who he is!"

Then, she was dragged away. "Hey! Hey! Wait! It wasn't me! Ask that guy over there!"

"Boss Shinacchi!" Ryoko yelled,

"Ryoko-chan!" Shiina cried

"Boss Shinacchi!"


	2. E1C2: The Sister of Destiny

(A/N: Is it hard to characterize who from "Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza" without giving too much away in this story? Anyway, there were three girls who showed up in the last chapter that I didn't cover in the author's note: Mai Asahina, Ryoko Sawamura and Touka Tennoji.

"Mai Asahina is a girl in Yuuto Ayase's class. She generally has a quiet personality, though is vice-chairman of the naginatajutsu club. She is close friends with Shiina Amamiya and Ryoko Sawamura. She cameos in the first season of the anime adaptation, but is fully shown in Purezza. Now, she is a lieutenant of Kanemura Industries, a subsidiary of the Tojo Clan's Shibata Family. Unlike her shy and quiet demeanor, she became cold and heartless than her former self, except when she is around Shiina."

"Ryoko Sawamura is a classmate and close friend of Shiina Amamiya and Mai Asahina, and is often seen with them. As opposed to the quiet Mai, she is quite boisterous and hyperactive. She often refers to Shiina as "Shiina-cchi" and Yuuto as "Ayase-cchi". She notices that Shiina feels something for Yuuto, so she (and Mai) encourages her to go for him, perhaps oblivious to the fact that Yuuto has Haruka Nogizaka. She is mostly active in _Purezza_. Now, she is working at NPC, Shiina's Naginata, Cosplay and Piano rental place in Kamurocho as secretary, and... she tries to be happy with Shiina, but it may be tough, due to Shiina's neglect of her job."

"Touka Tennoji is a student at Yuuto Ayase's school, though she is in her first year, class three. She is known by the nickname _Princess Blizzard_ at school because of her domineering and arrogant personality. She comes from a family whose wealth could rival that of Haruka's family. Her family is known as "The East Nogizaka's House and the West Tennoji's house". Yuuto worked as her personal butler for one week before Christmas to earn money for Haruka's Christmas present. After the head of the family died at age 147, she became the third in line to inherit the family fortune. Her ultimate goal is world conquest. She cameos in the first season of the anime adaptation, but is fully shown in _Purezza_. Now, she found herself being part of Kanemura Industries, a subsidiary of the Tojo Clan's Shibata Family. She befriended Shiina Amamiya and considers her a good friend, despite them being in two different worlds."

Now that this is out of the way, let's carry on. And now... our feature presentation.)

Chapter 2: The Sister of Destiny

(二章: 運命の妹)

It was nighttime in Kamurocho. A young red-haired girl is left alone after seeing her friend in a blue suit walking with another girl, in a nice white dress north on Tenkaichi Street. The red-haired girl looked down in sadness. She continued to walk to the nearest taxi back home. She boarded it and drove off.

A few months have passed. The young brunette girl, Mai Asahina, and the green-haired ponytailed girl, Ryoko Sawamura, were talking at a restaurant back in Akihabara. The red-haired girl was with them. They were talking about their plans after graduation, and what their new goals are. Then, they noticed Shiina all sad and not eating her food.

"Shiina-chan." Mai said as she noticed Shiina looking all upset, "What's wrong?"

Shiina sighed, "It's nothing."

"Don't tell me 'it's nothing'!" Ryoko cried out, "What is it?"

Shiina sighed. She then told them about her adventure with her Hakujou classmate, Yuuto Ayase, in their mission to find and save Haruka Nogizaka from the fate of the Hitmen in Kamurocho. Then, she said, "In the end, though… I feel that, I was left all alone."

"Shiina-chan." Mai said, "It's OK." She then put her hand on Shiina's shoulder.

"Something will come up!" Ryoko shouts, with happiness, "I'm sure of it!"

"Are you sure?" Shiina said

"Yeah." Mai said, doing her best to cheer her best friend up, "There are other men who will like you for who you are. I'm sure you'll find someone that you like!"

Then, she continued, "What happened between you and Yuuto… I know it was not meant to be. But… something will come up that will make you see him again!" Then, Mai turned to Ryoko and declared, "I think we should move to Kamurocho."

"Why?" Ryoko cried, "What's there for us to do? There isn't a place we can move into for even cheap! We'd have to save a LOT of money to move in!"

Then… it happened.

A man in a blue suit, with a golden lapel on the suit, approached the three girls. "Ms. Amamiya? Ms. Asahina? Ms. Sawamura?" he said

All three girls stood up to face the man. "Yes?" they all said and bowed,

"There is a message for you, from Ayase Kumicho." He said and he gave a letter to Shiina.

"Ayase… Kumicho?" Mai asked,

Shiina whispered, "It must be Yuuto. I told you that he's the head of a yakuza family."

Mai then nods. Shiina opened the envelope and read the letter. Mai and Ryoko crowded around her.

"Dear Ms. Shiina Amamiya, Ms. Mai Asahina and Ms. Ryoko Sawamura,

I'm writing to you saying that I'm doing very well. I have kept both my relationship with Haruka in check as well as my job as patriarch of a yakuza family in the Tojo Clan. So far, my family has a little over 200 members. They also enjoy my company as their boss, which is nice.

Now… to business. I have an upstairs store in Tenkaichi Street in the southwest end of Kamurocho that is empty. Apparently, loan sharks once owned the place. They used to borrow money from other yakuza families… But, they didn't even bother paying the interest. So, the families gave up on dealing with them and they wanted us to take care of that problem. The company that owned the place was called "Peace Finance", but rather than financing, they're all about illegal money lending. Since they're involved in some illegal business, they've had a bad attitude. Also, they have caused quite a bit of grief to innocent people. So… alongside my Lieutenant, Reiji Kido, we both took care of that little problem and ran them out of town. So… I have one of my members come give you the deed to the place.

You can set up however you wish. I'll gladly pay the rent for you guys, so men won't come and harass you. If there are any problems, let me know and the aggressors can deal with me first.

Good luck, girls!

Sincerely,

Yuuto Ayase

Patriarch of the Tojo Clan's Ayase Family"

Shiina lowered the letter down for a bit. Mai and Ryoko looked at Shiina. "Your dream has come true!" Ryoko cried out,

"Shiina-chan!" Mai cried out, "Yuuto made you a promise... and delivered on it! You should be happy!"

Shiina then cheered out loud. The three girls began to cheer and hug each other.

Then… Shiina woke up, finding herself in a jail cell. "Hey!" a female officer cried, "Wake up!"

"Wake up!" she said then she opened the cell. "You're free to go. Please leave."

Shiina walked through the hallway of the police station. Then, she heard, "It's good that you weren't the killer. It would be pretty scary if that best friend of yours did not see a thing."

"Were you talking about Ryoko?" Shiina faced the spoken person who is a man in a grey suit, who has the face of a 50-year-old: somewhat filled with wrinkles, but has a flattop haircut. "She was thinking about you, you know. She sacrificed herself to be outside in the rain and scream out, 'My boss didn't do it!'". The man continued,

"Hm." Shiina said, "I see." She continued to walk forward.

Then, the man cried, "Amamiya!"

Shiina sighed. "Don't get in too deep with Kanemura Industries. If people see you lending costumes and equipment to idiots, don't just think you're the lone idiot." He walked and tapped Shiina on the shoulder. "Don't get yourself involved with the yakuza."

Shiina turned around. "What is it you want to tell me?" She asked sternly

"If you lend your equipment or costumes like it's a game, there will be criminals afoot." The man said,

"Are you sure about this?" Shiina asked

"Yes." The man answered, "You might plunge yourself in a dangerous world, like you did during the shooting. One you potentially cannot escape once you dig in deep, especially with the likes of Kanemura."

"Listen... Sugiuchi-san." Shiina said,

"Huh?" Sugiuchi replied,

"It's my duty to lend costumes and equipment to people." Shiina said, "And I have no plans on quitting that field."

There was silence for a bit. "Is that all?" Shiina said, "If so, I'm done here." Then, she turned around to leave.

Until... "Kanemura is dead." Sugiuchi said,

Shiina stopped and turned around. "When?" she said,

"He died while you were sleeping." Sugiuchi answered, "So... Do not get involved with Kanemura Industries nor the Ueno Seiwa Clan. If you do... I'll come for you."

Shiina took the taxi back to Kamurocho. Then, she got a phone call. "Hello?" Shiina said,

"Hey, Boss Shiinacchi!" someone cried. It came from Ryoko. "You just got out?"

"Yes, actually." Shiina responded, "So… how are you faring?"

"Oh… I'm doing OK." Ryoko responded, "Listen, Boss Shiinacchi… I locked up yesterday, so the place should be in order. As for me, I'm heading off to take care of business over with the Comiket organizer. Work hard, OK, Boss Shiinacchi?" Then, she hung up.

"Hey, Ryoko-chan!" Shiina cried, "Hello? Hello?"

She put her phone away. "All right… I can head back to NPC now…" she thought. But, before she headed back to NPC, she decided to head to the underground shopping centre. She walked around looking at things, such as dresses hung on mannequins in stores. She looked at all the boutique stores, which sell makeup and… a bit of lingerie. She scratched her head at the thought… "Scary…" she thought as she pictured herself in sky blue lingerie.

Just then, she heard, "Hey! Were you looking at me? I'm gonna rip your clothes out!"

Shiina faced a man in a red suit. She found herself surrounded by five men. She bashed out the second man with her two quick kicks, her quick axe kick and several rapid-fire kicks from her left foot. She finished the combo with a rising kick.

"Punk! Come!" one yakuza cried. He got hit with the rapid-fire kick combo from Shiina. Shiina did a rising kick to finish him.

She tried to grab a big sumo man, but she was easily pushed away. Shiina then did her rapid-fire kick combo set, ending with a rising kick. It didn't take out the big sumo yakuza. Shiina swayed back as he attempted a chop. Shiina tried her rapid-fire kick combo again, but this time after the rising kick, the big sumo yakuza is defeated.

Then, she grabbed the fourth yakuza gangster. She pulled him towards a wall. She rammed his face towards the wall and bashed his head on it. After he fell down, Shiina gave a huge stomp on his face!

The last yakuza gangster cowered in fear. She grabbed him and yelled, "What? What's wrong?" She pushed him away. Then, she thought up another move when he got close to the wall… She bashed him with a kick with her right foot, which pushed him to the wall and forced him to kneel down. Then, Shiina spun around and… POW! Shiina smashed the gangster's head with a harsh axe kick!

"Guh…" The gangster cried, "You're hard… for a girl. I'll give you that. Here… take this then."

She was given a Toughness Z. "What is it even for?" she thought, and then she read the label.

"Toughness Z is a good drink to take when you're feeling hurt." She reads,

"Seems useful." Shiina thought, "I'll keep it for now."

Shiina decided to head back aboveground and back to NPC. She exited the underground shopping centre on the west side and found herself on Tenkaichi Street. She then ran north and headed back to the office.

She went inside. She walked over the desk by the window and sat on the desk. Then, she noticed a note on the table. It was on a bento container. It read, "Boss Shinacchi, please eat. You might be hungry."

She took out the note and thought, "How sincere can Ryoko be…" She then smiled as she opened the bento lunch container. The unfortunate thing is… there is tons of meat in there. She sighed and said, "Oh… This is too much. I can't eat this."

She closed the container and slumped back on her chair. Then, she said, "I need a lollipop… Where is one?"

She then looked around the desk for one. She had to turn papers since it is known that she doesn't keep candy around her desk. She then opened a drawer… to find a hidden photo. On the photo are eleven people.

At the very back of the photo, taken in Kamurocho's Tenkaichi Street entrance, are four older people. The one with the black hair and in a plain black shirt and jean-like shorts is Ruko Ayase, Yuuto's older sister. Beside her is a blonde and well-dressed young woman named Yukari Kamishiro. She is one of the teachers in the Hakujou Private Academy. Also, there are two women dressed in maid's clothing. One is a white medium-length-haired girl named Hazuki Sakurazaka and the other is a blue longhaired girl named Nanami Nanashiro. In the middle are six people. On the far right is the young green-haired boy in a white shirt and blue pants, Nobunaga Asakura. Beside him is Yuuto Ayase, a blue-haired boy dressed in a nice dark blue suit. Beside him is his girlfriend, Haruka Nogizaka, a blonde-haired girl in her red Hakujou Private Academy uniform with high blue leggings. On the far right are Shiina and her two best friends, Mai Asahina and Ryoko Sawamura.

But, Shiina noticed someone else… a little girl who is doing a silly pose in front of Haruka. She had orange hair with flower hairclips and ponytails.

Then… she cried, "Shit!" She shut the drawer. She slumped back and sighed. She had a concerned look on her face. It may be clear that she didn't want to remind herself of the painful memories she had, with both Yuuto and Haruka being together.

Then, she heard the door open. Shiina looked up to see a little girl wearing a grey detective-like jacket. She had orange hair with the flower hairclips and ponytails. She was also wearing sunglasses. "Excuse me…" she began,

"Oh!" Shiina cried, "I'm sorry! A customer?" She got up and walked over. "Come in! Come in."

The girl walked forward. "Er…" she began,

"Yes?" Shiina asked,

"Is this NPC?" The girl asked

"Yes." Shiina replied, in a friendly manner, "It must have been hard to find, yes?"

"Please. Sit down." She continued nervously,

"OK." The girl responded and slowly walked over and sat on the couch.

Shiina then sat on the couch on the other side.

"Well…" Shiina began, "Would you like to tell me what you need?"

"Er… Well…" the girl said and took off her sunglasses to reveal her shiny dark blue eyes. Shiina gasped. It was the same little girl in the photo.

"Well…" the girl continued, "Is it OK if I suck on a lollipop?"

"Sure!" Shiina answered, and cleared the tray full of lollipop sticks. "I always leave everything to my secretary, but they don't clean up too much."

The girl then got out a "Clumsy Akichan" lollipop and sucked on it. She put down her container of "Clumsy Akichan" lollipops that had a logo to a cabaret club written on it.

"Go ahead." Shiina said,

"I'm sorry." The girl said, and kept sucking on it for a bit.

"Er…" Shiina began

"Yes?" The girl said,

"What is it that you would like from me?" Shiina asked

"Er… The thing is…" The girl began, "Well…"

"Yes?" Shiina said,

The girl continued, a little bit hesitant, "Are you a person who lends equipment or costumes without any interest on the rental fees?"

"Yes." Shiina said, "But… what is it you want to tell me?"

The girl was silent. "You can't say, huh?" Shiina said, "It's OK. I don't believe it would matter what you want my spears, piano or costumes for. 'This place is the official home of Comiket costume rentals'. That's where you heard about me, isn't it? So… I don't believe it matters what you want my stuff for."

She herself took out a yellow lollipop to suck on. She sighed and thought, "That's where they were the whole time…"

Then, she asked, "What will you need for today, hm?"

The girl hesitated for a bit, "Er…"

"Er…" Shiina asked, "Can I see your lollipop pack?"

"Sure." The girl answered and Shiina took it. She studied the container for a bit. She saw a logo on the right-hand corner. It had three kanji that read "大女優", which meant "Great Actress". "Great Actress…?" Shiina said out loud, "What a strange name for a cabaret club in Kamurocho. Do you work there?"

"Oh, no. I don't anymore." The girl answers, "I used to work there a long time ago."

"Did you work there for a long time?" Shiina asked,

"Yes… Well… Sort of." The girl answered as Shiina put the container back on the table.

Shiina sucked on the lollipop for a bit then she took it out of her mouth. Then, she asked, "What item do you want from here?"

The girl remained silent. "Listen. If you don't tell me what you need here, then… there isn't much I can do for you." Shiina said, slightly persistent then she put the lollipop back in her mouth.

"Would it be possible…" The girl asked, "If you can lend me… the golden piano… in ten days?"

"A golden piano?" Shiina asked,

"Yes." The girl answered,

"You have experience with the piano?" Shiina asked,

"Yes." The girl answered,

"Have you played in concerts in the past?" Shiina asked,

"Yes." The girl answered,

"OK… Just to check…" Shiina said, as she put the empty lollipop stick she had on the tray. "You have had experience with the piano and you played in concerts in the past, yet… you want a golden piano?" The girl was silent.

"Do you understand what you're telling me?" Shiina said,

The girl cried out, "Sorry! I knew it was impossible!" She grabbed her container and apologized again. "Please forget everything I said!" She got up to leave.

"I'm sorry for taking up your time." She said, "Have a nice day."

"Wait a minute…" Shiina said, and then she got up, "I didn't say I'm not lending it to you. Do you want to sit down to chat for a minute over green tea?"

The two sat down on opposite couches, both with green teas in hand. Shiina then explained to the girl that in order to approve the rental of the equipment, she has to take the test. The girl was a bit lost on what kind of test it is, but Shiina explains that tests are things like volunteering at senior centres or helping out at her old school, the Hakujou Private Academy.

"In short…" Shiina said, "If you fail the test, then I can't give you the piano." Then, she paused, "I heard you needed the piano quickly… and in ten days?"

The girl shook her head. "Yes." She answered,

"Are you in a rush?" Shiina asked,

"That is correct." The girl answers,

"If you abandon the test, then it shows me that you're wasting my time." Shiina said, slightly stern, then she asks, "Are you sure you want to take it?"

She then sipped on her cup of tea. Then, she said confidently, "Yes. Please let me do it."

Shiina then said, "Are you sure?"

The girl then said, "I don't have any choice. Please… let me take the test."

"All right…" Shiina said, "I'll let you take it." Then, he heard her cell phone go off. "Excuse me."

"OK." The girl said,

Shiina then picked up her cell. "Hello? NPC Kamurocho. Amamiya speaking."

"Amamiya?" someone cried, "It's Tennoji!"

"Tennoji-chan?" Shiina cried, "What's going on? Where are you?"

"I'm at the precinct in Kamuro." Touka explained, "They just finished grilling me about the boss."

"Kanemura?" Shiina cried, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah… I was the first to find out." Touka said, "Our boss is dead when I came back to the office."

"I know." Shiina said, "When did you find out? And… what about Mai? Did she find out?"

"Yeah." Touka said, "A detective named Sugiuchi told me. I still can't wrap my head around that."

"I see." Shiina said, "Look… I'm doing business with a customer. Can we meet later?"

"All right." Touka said,

"I'll call back in ten minutes." Shiina said, "I'll see you in a bit."

She hung up her phone. "It's some other business." Shiina said, "Anyway, that golden piano needs to be ready for you in ten days?"

"Yes." The girl said,

"Make sure you pass the test, OK?" Shiina reminded, "And please come back tomorrow. I'll make sure you're prepared."

"I will." The girl replied,

Shiina opened the door and showed her out. The girl turned around and said, "In that case, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll wait for you here." Shiina said and bowed politely

She walked down the stairwell onto the alleyway. Shiina quickly said, "Excuse me…"

The girl turned around. "What is your name?"

The girl answered, "Aoi."

"Aoi…" Shiina said, "Is that an alias or your real name?"

Aoi then asked, "Is it all right if I don't say?"

Shiina replied, "It's all right, then. I'll be around tomorrow."

Then, Shiina called someone on her cell. "It's me, Amamiya. I have a customer who is coming by tomorrow… Please help out on something for her… OK. Thanks for your assistance. Take care." She then hung up.

Ryoko walked by and noticed Shiina on top of the stairwell into the rooftop. "I wonder… what is going on with that girl…?" Shiina thought,

Then, she heard, "Boss Shiinacchi! You're here!"

Shiina turned to Ryoko. "Oh, yeah. I'm still around."

Shiina then left the office for a bit to meet with Touka Tennoji. She began by heading down the steps and into Tenkaichi Street. She then ran a bit up north right up to Taihei Boulevard. She looked around until… a yakuza gangster looked at her and said, "Hey! I've been training, so… let's dance, little one!"

She bashed him with her rapid-fire kick combo ending with a rising kick. Then, she ran to a pylon. She picked it up and saw a purple-suit gangster in her path. Then, Shiina caught him when he wasn't looking, grabbed his shirt and smashed him in the gut with the pylon. Shiina then proceeded to spank the gangster with the pylon twice in the head. Shiina then lets go of purple-suit gangster and gave him one more spank in the head, dropping him. Shiina smashed the pylon on the gangster for insurance, which caused it to break. He couldn't get up anymore.

Shiina saw a sword and hacked away at the other three gangsters. Two of them were beaten, with the last one cowering away from Shiina. She picked up a bicycle and waited for the gangster to get up. Then… BAM! She slammed the bike over his head.

"Dammit!" The first gangster cried, "I've gotta train more! Here… I won't need this anymore!"

Shiina got a Tauriner from the gangster. "What is this even for?" she thought,

Then, she read the label. "Tauriner is a nice energy boost drink that will give you more focus for a fight."

"This is neat." She thought, "I'm keeping it."

Shiina then rushed to Theatre Square. She noticed a doorway with a set of stairs leading to the rooftops. "Tennoji asked me to meet her here… Time to go, I guess." Shiina thought and walked up

Shiina finally met up with Touka and the two talked about how Touka is behind on time and then she gave precise details on her boss' death.

"I didn't hear anything back from Asahina or anything… so I decided to head back to the office. I was running up the stairs and entered while it was stormy. It was empty and it was quiet. I was trying to look for someone, and then I knocked on the door… waiting for a response from my boss. I opened the door… and I found him lying on the sofa… dead. I was so scared that… I ran out of the office."

"Asahina never picked up. In the end, I was forced to report on my boss' death." Touka continues,

"I see." Shiina said,

"Word on the street is a girl might have been involved with the slaying of my boss." Touka said,

"A girl?" Shiina said,

"Huh-uh." Touka nodded, "I mean… I noticed there was lipstick marked on the mouth and face. Likewise, my boss had his shirt off. But to me, I feel that it is a little too rubbish. I mean… I'm sure that it might have been someone else who killed my boss."

"Hmm…" Shiina said, "I really don't have a clue. I can't think of any other causes."

Then, they heard chuckles. Six men walked right into Shiina and Touka's sight. "Who the heck are they?" Touka asked,

"These must be Shibata Family gangsters." Shiina said, noticing their lapel pins, "They must be here to silence us." Then, she yelled, "Isn't that right, boys?"

Touka stammered, "W-What are you doing, Amamiya?"

"Don't worry about it." Shiina answered and turned back to the thugs, "You must have allied yourself with the Ueno Seiwa to fix everything up! Right?"

Their leader, dressed in a dark grey shirt with a red tie and a black suit, and wearing sunglasses said, "It's true. It's what our boss has decided."

"Hey…" Shiina whispered, "Leave everything to me. I'll take care of this."

"W-What are you doing?" Touka stammered

"Stay out of this." Shiina whispered, "I may be a pretty girl, but I'm much harder than these thugs here. Let alone yourself."

"Amamiya!" Touka cried,

"Run back to NPC." Shiina whispered, "Make sure you get there OK."

"B-But…" Touka cried,

"Get out of here now!" Shiina cried,

"O-OK!" Touka cried, ran and jumped over a fence. The Shibata thugs saw her and rushed after her, but Shiina got in their way and cried, "No way! You're fighting me instead!"

"What the hell? We're not playing here, girlie." their leader cried, "You wanna die tonight? I'll slice off not one, but two of your fingers!"

Shiina chuckles, "What? Isn't that a bit old-school… To slice off those one or two fingers off someone?"

"What?" Their leader cried,

"I'll try and give you boys a lot of bruises. And I'll hit you where it hurts." Shiina taunted,

"You run your mouth a lot." Their leader retorted, "We'll show how we run things around these parts… and we'll start with you."

"Right on." Shiina said as she prepared herself

"Right!" Their leader cried out, "You heard the girlie! We're going to fuck her up right now! Get her!"

Shiina began with a horizontal kick shot on three gangsters, including the leader. Then, she focused on the red-sweater wearing gangster, and blasted him with her roundhouse kick combo ending with a butterfly kick. Then… she bashed the gangster's head with her right foot. The thug couldn't get up anymore.

"Oh boys!" Shiina taunted and walked over and smashed the leader with her right quick kick and a squat and axe kick.

Then, she knocked down a gangster with a horizontal kick shot. Then, she focused on the knife-wielding thug and bashed him with her butterfly kick combo. He blocked most of her kicks, but couldn't block against the butterfly kick. She took down the leader with her squat and axe kick shot. The knife-wielding gangster thrusted his knife, but missed by a mile. Then, she bashed him down with her butterfly kick combo… and finished him with a foot in the face.

Shiina giggled at the four gangsters. Then, she focused on the katana-wielding thug and bashed him with rapid-fire kicks, a rising kick, a variation of the axe kick and an extra roundhouse shot. She focused on dropping down thugs with her horizontal kick shots, whilst evading their punches, kicks and thrusts.

Shiina took down the katana-wielding thug with her horizontal kick shot. Then, she picked up the katana and ran to the leader. Then, Shiina caught him when he wasn't looking, grabbed his shirt and smashed him in the gut with the katana. Shiina then proceeded to spank the leader with the katana seven in the upper body. Shiina then lets go of leader and gave him one more spank in the head, dropping him.

Then, she proceeded to slash her enemies. She tossed the katana away and bashed a downed thug on the head with her right foot!

She then focused on the last thug before the leader and finished him with her butterfly kick combo. Then, the leader growled, "You… bitch!"

Then, he began kicking low, only to miss. He tried two high spin kicks, only to catch air. Shiina bashed him with her rapid-fire kicks, a rising kick, a variation of the axe kick and an extra roundhouse shot. He dropped to the floor, and then he got up, growling.

"You little…" He tried a spin kick again, only to miss. Shiina grabbed him, pulled him near a small gate, rammed his head on it, and bashed it again and when he dropped down to the floor… POW! Shiina bashed his head with her left foot for the finish.

Shiina breathed in and out after a nice workout in the form of defeating the Shibata Family thugs. "You guys are no challenge to me. After all, I was there a year ago when I helped someone from the Tojo get back his girl."

"Damn…" their leader said, "We heard you were good, but…"

"Oh yeah?" Shiina said, "And what else did they say about me, hm?"

"I don't know shit, except…" the leader continued,

"Except… what?" Shiina asked,

"We got boys already headed to your office." The leader warned.

"Heh. No surprise there." Shiina said, and then crouched, "Now, let me ask you. Are they good fighters too?"

"Heh, fuck yeah." The leader continued, "They're the best men in the Shibata Family! Your office is already—"

"Then, I've got nothing to worry about." Shiina said,

"Huh?" The leader said

Shiina sighed. "You'll understand soon enough." She took out her purple lollipop and sucked on it. Then, she heard, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Shiina stood up to find Sugiuchi and a group of female police officers. "Oh shit!" she cried,

"Amamiya!" Sugiuchi cried as he and his group walked forward, "Are you still fighting yakuza? Have you forgotten what I told you this morning?"

"Er… Sugiuchi-san…" Shiina said nervously

"Save it. I'll hear all about down at the precinct." Sugiuchi said,

"Uh… No. You won't, sir." Shiina cried nervously, "Come on! I'm the victim here!" She then chuckled,

"Shut up!" Sugiuchi said, "I'm taking you in! Get her! Now!"

The police officers ran after Shiina. "Oh no!" Shiina cried and jumped over the gate. The police officers cried, "Freeze! Hey, stop! Come back here!"

Shiina rushed across the rooftops with the police officers hot on her tail. Right before she exited the hallway inside a building, she was grabbed, but managed to escape the officer's grasp.

She then ran out of the building, and jumped across a building, landing right on her feet. She saw that several officers managed to jump across the same building she jumped across. She then continued running until she came across another gap between buildings. She jumped up and…

…she landed down safely. She panted heavily as she walked to the stairwell. Then, she heard a battle cry. Thugs crashed out of the door. "Oh no!" Shiina cried, "I'm too late!"

Two thugs fell down the stairwell and one more thug flew over the gate and… CRASH! He banged his head on a gate and fell all the way down onto the garbage bags. "Ouch." Shiina said to herself, "That's gonna leave a mark."

She staggers down and through the door into the office. "Boss Shiinacchi!" Ryoko cried as she saw her best friend, who's her boss.

"I'm back." Shiina said, tired and staggering on the couch. Touka was there, but silent in surprise. She flopped down.

Ryoko gave her a glass of water. "Here's some water." Ryoko said,

"Thank you." Shiina said and took a big gulp. Ryoko walked back to her desk. "Damn…" Shiina said, "It doesn't matter where I go, the police might come after me."


	3. E1C3: Disturbance within the Tojo Clan

(A/N: OK. A bit of a spoiler alert coming up. Many of you know who Mai Goto is. She's a Japanese VA who played Mika Nogizaka in the "Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu" anime series. A lot of elements in this chapter were inspired by an eroge game she took part in, under the pseudonym "Agumi Oto", called "Tenshin Ranman" [literally means "Random Pride of Heavenly Gods" or something, there are two versions: the PC version (Lucky or Unlucky?) which has some Hentai junk in that, and the PSP version (Happy Go Lucky) which has a new character and loses the Hentai junk]. Now, the cabaret club "Sakuya" is inspired by another character named "Unohana no Sakuya Hime" (no idea what that means aside from Princess [hime]). The costume that Aoi wears is inspired by the character that Mai Goto plays, Sana Chitose, one of the heroines in the VN. Heck, Aoi's name came from another heroine in that, Aoi Yamabuki! XD I better stop before I spill even more beans... XD)

Chapter 3: Disturbance within the Tojo Clan

(三章: 東城会騒乱)

Shiina walked in the girls' bathroom after she was released from custody. She noticed Touka in a sink next to hers. "Hi." Shiina said, "Have fun?"

"Hi." Touka replied back, "Gee... That Sugiuchi guy is a real gum in the word "gumshoe". Really! What attitude he's got!"

"No kidding." Shiina said, "But if I was a cop like him, then I'm can be considered one with attitude, right?"

"You think it's that simple?" Touka asked after she finished checking her face

"You think it isn't?" Shiina asked

"Gee..." Touka said, "I think Sugiuchi has an obsession over you and Asahina, huh?"

"How do you know?" Shiina asked,

"He kept asking me how you two met and stuff." Touka answered, "I know you two were best friends at Hakujou Academy. He also asked me about the conditions of the loan to Kanemura. Isn't all this odd to you?"

"On the terms... probably." Shiina said, "I wasn't surprised about how Mai-chan and I met."

"Not that I can blame him for wondering. Why are you so stuck on backing Asahina, huh?" Touka asked, somewhat unsure

"I'm sorry." Shiina said, "But, I can't."

"Come on, Amamiya!" Touka cried, "You can tell me!"

"Sometime later, OK?" Shiina said as she left,

"Shiina!" Touka cried as she followed her. Little did they know that Sugiuchi heard everything...

* * *

Shiina thought as she made it back to Theatre Square, "Well... time to head back to NPC."

Shiina decided to walk a bit to the west on the Theatre alleyway and slightly south up to Taihei Boulevard, until she heard... "Found ya!"

She turned around and saw the same three punks she beaten a couple days earlier, Itou, Kobayashi and Takahashi. "Guys, I'm not collecting money today. Leave me alone." Shiina said,

"SHUT UP!" Itou cried, "You got really lucky last time, you bitch!"

"Aniki." Kobayashi cried, "This is the woman who spanked us all last time."

A man in a grey suit with a near blonde Afro cut, named Watanabe, approached Shiina. "Ah... so you must be Shiina Amamiya of NPC. I've heard a lot about you. You're one strange character when it comes to selling stuff to people. Now, I've come to teach you a lesson."

"Come now." Shiina said, "What makes you think that I will surrender to you boys?"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" The man cried out, "You're gonna die!"

Shiina began by circling around the four men. "Hmph." Shiina taunted, "Come at me."

Itou then tossed a punch at Shiina. Shiina blocked it as she stood on one foot. Itou tried a slap. It was blocked. Then, Itou did a punch, and a kick. But Shiina blocked both shots. She then did her rising kick combo attack on him.

Then, Shiina swayed away from Itou, avoiding a slap the moment he got up. "Gee, boys." Shiina taunted again, "You're no challenge at all to me."

Little that she knew that she took a kick in the back from Itou. She ran around the thugs and kicked a trashcan at Watanabe, Takahashi and Kobayashi. Then, she kicked the trashcan at Itou and bashed him to the wall. Then... she felt something.

She felt a pink aura around her. "Huh?" she thought, "A pink aura? Hmm... I wonder."

She then picked up the same trash can that she hit her thugs with, saw Takahashi getting up, and... POW! She threw down the trash can over his head, punched him twice in the chest and... POW! She bashed him in the head, which tossed him over the side.

The aura disappeared from her body. She thought, "What if I strike them multiple times...?"

She then proceeded to strike at the thugs with her combo attacks. Right when she hit Watanabe with her rising kick combo attack, she noticed the aura coming back to her quickly. She then picked up a trash can and waited until Watanabe got up and... POW! She threw down the trash can over his head, punched him twice in the chest and... POW! She bashed him in the head, which tossed him over the side.

The aura disappeared again. Then, Shiina finished Watanabe with her roundhouse kick combo attack. She then looked at the three thugs left standing. She did her roundhouse kick combo attack on each of the three thugs. The aura came back to her. She found a beer crate, picked it up and... POW! She threw it right on Takahashi's head.

Then, she proceeded to slap his head with her right hand and then her left. She did so again. She didn't notice that pink wings began to appear on her back and they began to grow. She then spun to the left and slapped Takahashi with her left hand and then spun to the right and slapped him with her right hand. The wings glowed to their large height and Shiina breathed in. Then, she screamed as she held back her right hand, and... POW! She chopped the beer crate and brought Takahashi down!

She then grabbed Kobayashi and threw him down. She then did her kick combos on both Kobayashi and Itou. She then finished Itou by grabbing him and punching him out. Kobayashi grew scared of Shiina. She then crouched and taunted, "Gee... You're nothing to me!"

The aura came back quickly. Kobayashi was still cowering in fear. Shiina then bashed her foot right at Kobayashi's face, finishing him off.

Watanabe cried, "Son of a bitch..."

"Are you sure you want to still fight with me?" Shiina said, "You know that I'm too hard for you boys. I think you should just go away and never deal with me again."

Watanabe remained silent, but then said, "I understand."

Kobayashi cried, "A-Aniki!"

Watanabe cried, "SHUT UP! Let's listen to her! Amamiya-san, I will say that you're one hard shopkeeper. I don't think I'll ever cross paths with you ever again. In fact, let's not say anything about our asses beat by you again and we're even. Are we OK with that?"

"Yeah, sure." Shiina said,

"O-OK. Take care." Watanabe said, "Come on, boys!" And all the thugs ran away.

Shiina then thought, "I really have to head back to NPC now."

She ran to Tenkaichi Street, then she went to the alleyway to NPC and then... she noticed policemen waiting. "Oh, great." Shiina thought, "Policemen. I have to go around."

She ran back to the rooftop elevator at Theatre Square, and then she traversed the rooftops back to NPC. She went inside and cried, "I'm back!" But, then... she noticed Sugiuchi sitting on the sofa. "Whoops!" Shiina said as she turned around, "On second thought..."

"Where are you going, Amamiya?" Sugiuchi cried, "This is your place, isn't it?"

"Why are you here, Sugiuchi-san?" Shiina said, and decided to sit down facing Sugiuchi.

"I'm here to tell you a couple of things. One, I'm placing this building under 24-hour surveillance for the next few days." Sugiuchi said,

"Why?" Shiina cried, "Why do you want to do that?"

"To keep your pretty ass safe, genius!" Sugiuchi cried, "To protect you from the Shibata Family."

"Two, you really shouldn't deal with the Shibata Family." Sugiuchi warned, "They were inspecting a building sometime ago."

"Really?" Shiina said,

"Yes." Sugiuichi said,

"But... I've got word from the Ayase Family that the Majima Family is actually working on that." Shiina said, "Doesn't the Shibata Family have to sell themselves in front of the Majima Family in order to get the rights of Kamurocho Hills?"

"True." Sugiuchi said, "They need to strike a good partnership with them in order to get that building for themselves."

"But... I don't understand." Shiina said, "I heard that the Shibata Family are new to the Tojo Clan. Who do you think would strike that deal for them?"

"I do have a name." Sugiuchi said, "Isao Katsuragi, the Lieutenant of the Ueno Seiwa Clan. He's making a move."

* * *

It was June 13th, 2010 at the noon hour and in the large boardroom with chairs neatly lining up side-by-side and a young black suited man sitting on the centre chair near the window. There were men sitting on the chairs on the side. His hair is gelled up in a slick fashion. He then began to speak, "If this is regarding the incident about Kanemura Industries... let's ensure that it is put behind us."

He is facing a man who has a flattop haircut and a jacket-like suit. His face is that of a 45-year-old, filled with a number of wrinkles... and a stack of money. The man asked, "What is this money for, Chairman Dojima?"

"Katsuragi," the chairman, whose full name is Daigo Dojima, said, "We, the Tojo Clan, don't wish for this skirmish to develop into something bigger. Both the Tojo and the Ueno Seiwa Clan... had a good relationship for the past 25 years since the days of the Second Chairman. I don't want this incident to aggravate into a problem here."

"I see." Katsuragi replied, "You believe this money will solve this little problem, Chairman Dojima?"

"No, I don't believe it's enough." Daigo replied, "Even though this incident revolved around Kanemura Industries, who are affiliated under the Shibata Family, they weren't aware that the Ueno Seiwa Clan is with us. Thus, the Tojo Clan became equals to you. As a result, this money is offered to you to ensure that there are no difficulties between us."

"Equals... huh?" Katsuragi asked,

"You believe this amount dissatisfies you a bit?" Daigo asked. Katsuragi said nothing. "That's understandable." Daigo replied, bowing at the same time, then motioned his subordinate to leave for a bit. He did so.

Then... there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Daigo said,

An old man in a dark blue suit walked in. He had bandages on his left hand. He bowed down in respect. Katsuragi made a smug look when the man walked in. The man walked towards him and kneeled down. He then began to speak. "Katsuragi... I'm sorry about how the incident played out with Kanemura Industries!"

He then hands Katsuragi a large napkin. Katsuragi took it and opened it... it was the man's finger. The man had committed yubitsume, which is a yakuza-type ritual where slicing one's finger is a form of an apology. Katsuragi then put the napkin down on the stack of money. "So you are Shibata, huh?" He said,

"Yes." The man replied,

"You're a head of the Tojo Clan affiliated family, who's the top force in the country. Don't take it too harshly." Katsuragi replied, "So then, Shibata... You know you didn't have to hurt yourself like this. There are other ways to apologize. We've had a good relationship with the Tojo Clan."

Shibata lifted his head up. Then, Daigo said, "Katsuragi, what do you mean by this?"

"Chairman Dojima," Katsuragi said as he stood up, "We, the Ueno Seiwa Clan, had a good long-term relationship with each other. We really do not want bloodshed on either organization's hands. My boss, Yoshiharu Ueno, would think the same way you do."

"Katsuragi..." Daigo said,

"You and I would be angered over the money and the finger that you decided to deliver here today." Katsuragi said, "You and I know... that this will never do, at least with our rank and file members."

Katsuragi approached Daigo slowly. "Chairman Dojima, did you know that the skirmish in question is the killing of one of my members, Ihara? He was going to be an Assistant Lieutenant. This incident came on the heels of an inauguration for him."

"He was going to be an Assistant Lieutenant?" Daigo asked,

"That's true." Katsuragi said, "You believe that he was nothing more than a street punk, looking to fight? Truth is, since he served with the Ueno Seiwa for a long time, I feel that he could become a great executive. It's only fair, isn't it? Now that the future Lieutenant is dead, I don't believe the money and the finger are enough for us. Do you?"

"N-No." Daigo said, "Well... you see..."

"That is understandable." Katsuragi said, "You said that we're equals, yeah? But at the end of the day, we really aren't equals now... are we? But certain of my clan members will not agree. After all, the Tojo Clan and the Ueno Seiwa Clan are equals to them."

Daigo became a bit upset and stood up. "Katsuragi," he said, "How can I fix this problem?"

"That's it, isn't it?" Katsuragi said, "I'd say the life of Mai Asahina, one of your women who killed Ihara, would be a fair price. Otherwise, we would like to have the rights to the Majima Family's building."

The rest of the men began to whisper this shocking news. Daigo then said, "You want the rights... to Kamurocho Hills?"

"Yes." Katsuragi said

Daigo said down again, but this time, he was moving his head around. "I can't do it." He said, "I've got no reason to!"

"Why not?" Katsuragi asked,

"This is a lot of money we're talking about here!" Daigo replied, "That property is worth more than you can imagine! I honestly don't care how much Ihara was important to you. Nobody is worth that much!"

"Please, Chairman Dojima, don't get me wrong here." Katsuragi continued, as he got closer to Daigo "The Ueno Seiwa Clan is not interested in money. It's all the matter of saving face as yakuza. Chairman Dojima, I've heard you're a reasonable man. That's why I'm hoping you'd understand the position that I am in. As I said before, I am OK with having Asahina's head on a platter. That alone will satisfy our rank and file. But if that can't be arranged, you're going to have to offer someone else of the same stature as Ihara. Kashiwagi's dead, and the Nishiki Family and the Hakuho Clan have disbanded. As well as the Hamazaki Family. You've just appointed the Ayase Family, which I do not deem worthy. That leaves Majima, by default, as the only one who measures up to Ihara's worth."

Daigo remained silent. Katsuragi continued, "Of course, I couldn't possibly insist you to offer Majima's life as payback for Ihara's murder. That's why we're offering to make do with the rights of his property."

Daigo gritted his teeth. Katsuragi could tell that the Tojo Chairman is completely upset with the matter. He then said, "Please, think it over before you make your decision."

Katsuragi got up and said, "Until then..." He left, leaving Daigo to worry.

* * *

"It's that bad, huh?" Shiina said,

"Right on." Sugiuchi said, "That's why Asahina needs to be safe with the Tojo and more importantly, Shibata's men before the police or the Ueno Seiwa group gets to her. It's a shame that nobody knows where she might be. That leaves us little choice, but to keep an eye on people she's made contact to."

"Huh." Shiina said, "That's why you've been harassing Tennoji-chan and me."

"Get used to it." Sugiuchi said, "This building is under our eyes for a while. And I've got my eye on you. Don't go dicking around like business as usual!"

"Thanks for the heads-up, Sugiuchi-san." Shiina replied,

"Take care." Sugiuchi said, as he got up.

"Wait, Sugiuchi-san!" Shiina cried,

"What is it now?" Sugiuchi asked, impatiently

"You're from Criminal Affairs, yes?" Shiina said, "Why are you involved in this case? I mean... isn't any yakuza-related crimes the Organized Crime's department's business?"

"Hmph." Sugiuchi said, "That's none of your business."

"I see." Shiina said, "Then again, I heard that there's a possibility of a promotion back at HQ, huh?"

Sugiuchi got angry. "Shut your damn mouth!" he cried, "I said it's none of your business!"

"OK! OK!" Shiina cried innocently,

"Shit..." Sugiuchi cried, "Now that I think about it, what the hell am I doing anymore?"

"Huh?" Shiina asked,

"Forget I said that." Sugiuchi said, shaking his head. "Just a bit of exhaustion. Fatigue really does happen when you're involved in the force for 30 years."

Then, the door opened. "You've got a customer." Sugiuchi said,

"Hm?" Shiina said and got up. She found Aoi again. "I've been waiting for you." Shiina said and bowed, "Come and sit."

Sugiuchi then left Shiina and Aoi to their business. He then sighed once he got outside...

"OK..." Aoi said, "Whatever test you give me, I'm ready for it."

"All right." Shiina said, "How about we dress you up a bit?"

"Er..." Aoi said, nervously, "Are you sure it's all right? I mean... I don't want you to spend money on me."

"It's no problem." Shiina said, "Why don't we get a move on... together?"

* * *

"I've heard of a good cosplay place in the underground area." Shiina said, once they got outside and down the stairs. "Why don't we head there?"

"OK." Aoi said, "Lead the way."

Shiina walked onto Tenkaichi Street. She took a right turn heading south to Showa Street. Then, she ran into the Underground Shopping Mall, but a rich looking guy with a Mozart wig halted her. He said to Shiina, "I guess you know a thing or two about fighting. I have a big reward for you if you can beat me! But don't count on that actually happening! You ready?"

Shiina then quickly got to work on him, smashing him with varying kicking combo attacks. Eventually, when he cowered on the floor, Shiina did a spin kick on his face to finish him off.

The rich looking guy said, "I-I can't believe that j-just happened! You really got the goods, don't you? Here's that reward I promised, but I guarantee you won't be able to do that again!"

Shiina was given a Tauriner ++. "Huh. This is better than the regular Tauriner. I'd better save this." Shiina thought,

She then ran over to Ani-Milestone, which is a cosplay dress store. Shiina said, "Let's buy you a costume here. Hopefully, they may have something for you here."

"OK." Aoi agreed.

Then, Shiina went to the employee, who is just as young as Shiina herself. "Ah. Miss Amamiya!"

"Good evening, Ms. Togashi." Shiina replied, "I'm looking for something that will look good for this lady here. Can you show me what you have?"

"I understand, ma'am." Togashi replied, "How about either a Sailor Fuku, loosely inspired by an eroge game called "Tenshinranman"? Or… how about a Waitress costume?"

"Hmm…" Shiina said as she looked at both of them, then she made up her mind. "Please give me the Sailor Fuku."

"Here you go, ma'am." Togashi said as she handed Shiina the very pink Sailor Fuku, "I think it will look nice on her, don't you agree?"

"Yes, ma'am." Shiina agreed, and then said, "Please send the bill over to Ryoko."

"Will do, Ms. Amamiya." Togashi said, "Please stop by again soon."

"The costume is taken care of…" Shiina said to Aoi, "Now, let's move on to the accessories. Let's head on over to Le Marche."

"OK." Aoi said, and followed Shiina aboveground back to Showa Street. Le Marche wasn't far away from where they exited and as soon Shiina noticed it, she said, "I'll find a good accessory here, hopefully it'll match that Sailor Fuku costume."

"OK…" Aoi said and they both went inside Le Marche.

Shiina walked to the counter and greeted the employee. "Hello, Ms. Amamiya." The employee, whose name is Shibukawa, said, "What do you need in particular today?"

"Hmm…" Shiina said, and then she noticed a diamond cross necklace that might look good on Aoi. She then said, "Please give me the cross necklace."

"Are you finished shopping here?" Shibukawa asked after giving the necklace to Shiina.

"Yes, that'll do." Shiina said, "Please send the bill over to Ryoko, like usual. Thanks."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll do so right away." Shibukawa said,

Shiina and Aoi left, not before Shibukawa thanked them for coming by and shopping at Le Marche.

"Well… that leaves the hair, makeup and manicure which might take a while." Shiina said, "I think I'll leave you to it. Let whoever you do this stuff know that I, Shiina Amamiya, said to put it under NPC's tab. That shouldn't be a problem. Once you're done, meet me at Sakuya, which is a cosplay cabaret club near the entrance to the Millennium Tower. I'll be waiting there."

"OK." Aoi said and left to do her business. Shiina ran a bit north on Pink Street and turned left at Taihei Boulevard. She eventually found the club that she owns, Sakuya. She eventually walked inside.

* * *

After a good hour of waiting, Aoi finally arrived in the back room. "Welcome to Sakuya." Shiina said, "Why don't we begin?"

"OK." Aoi said, "Thank you very much."

"First, you need to dress yourself." Shiina said, "You look good, so we can definitely build upon that."

* * *

A few minutes later, Aoi came out, now dressed in her Sailor Fuku outfit and had her hair blonde with a black hairband. "Ah… Amamiya-san…" Aoi said, "It's me."

"Wow…" Shiina said, noticing Aoi in her new outfit, "I mean… I had high hopes, but… Wow…"

"Hm?" Aoi said,

"Nothing." Shiina said, rubbing whatever she thought off quickly, "Now, then. Let's move on to Part 2 of your test."

* * *

Both Shiina and Aoi sat on a couch. "Now… Part 2 is where you entertain people as customers." Shiina said, "Let's say I was a man and I needed to be comforted."

"A man?" Aoi cried,

"That's right." Shiina said, "You're hired as a hostess here. The idea is to make you the #1 girl here in Sakuya."

"#1?" Aoi asked,

"I never actually told you, but… I own this place, too." Shiina said, "I mean… We manage to stay in the dark, but in this economy, well… We're treading water at the moment."

"I see." Aoi said,

"So, I'm going to have you work here as Part 2 of your test." Shiina said,

"Er…" Aoi was nervous and needed to address something.

"Yes?" Shiina asked,

"I understand this part of the test and everything." Aoi said, letting out her concern, "But I'm really worried that I may not be #1 here in Sakuya."

"Are you giving up on that golden piano, then?" Shiina asked,

"What?" Aoi asked,

"You're quitting before you begin?" Shiina said, feeling a hint of surprise, "Should we just drop the test?"

"N… No." Aoi said, hesitantly, "Please. I want to take it."

"There we go." Shiina said with a hint of confidence, "And don't worry about it. You're #1 material exactly as you are right now."

"How is all this determined?" Aoi asked, "Is it by sales?"

"Right on!" Shiina said, "Beginning today, you have 3 days to make about ¥3 million."

"Three million…" Aoi said, "In three days…"

"You achieve that goal." Shiina said, "The golden piano is yours."

"I see…" Aoi said,

"If you miss your goal, however," Shiina said, "We'll leave it as if it never happened, as per our discussion."

* * *

"Three million… right?" Aoi said,

"Correct." Shiina said,

"And if I make that much, you'll really get me that golden piano?" Aoi asked,

"Right on." Shiina replied, and smiled at her.

Aoi was silent for a while, but then had the courage to say, "I understand. I'm gonna do my best."

Shiina then said, "OK… I think we've discussed business long enough. Let's spend some time together, as friends." She smiled again.

"What?" Aoi cried,

"Have you forgotten already?" Shiina asked, "You're supposed to act as if I am a guy and I am a customer here."

"But… aren't you a girl and the owner here?" Aoi asked,

"There's nothing about a girl having fun at her own club, right?" Shiina said, "So… let's assume I'm a male customer tonight. You go first."

Aoi then giggles. "That's it! Smile a bit!" Shiina said, with confidence. "Now, I'm ready to have some real fun!"

"You got it." Aoi said, happily then asked, "What shall we drink today, hmm?"

"Gee… What do I want to have today…?" Shiina asked, now filled with wonder.

* * *

After a good hour of practice, Shiina then said to Aoi, "I have some things to do, so… I'm going to have to leave you."

"Leaving already?" Aoi said,

"Yes." Shiina said, somewhat dejectedly, "I may own Sakuya, but I really can't keep you all to myself. I mean… it's bad for business."

"Of course." Aoi agreed, also somewhat dejectedly

"But… why don't we meet up after-hours?" Shiina asked,

Aoi then giggles. "Are you asking me out on a date or something?" she asked,

"That's exactly what I am asking, as weird as it sounds." Shiina answers.

Aoi giggled again. "OK. It's a date." She said,

"Perfect. Let's meet up at Theatre Square." Shiina said, "See you soon." And she left.

* * *

Shiina decided to walk for a while around Kamurocho as she left Aoi to her business. She decided to go inside Club SEGA at Theatre Square. She looked at the new arcade game called "Boxcelios II". She thought, "This might be a fun game to try…"

She then sat down and inserted ¥1,100 in coins in the arcade machine for Boxcelios II... And pressed the big red 'Start' button.

A 3-D screen came up with a wireframe of a spaceship. As soon as Shiina hit the 'Start' button, the small spaceship flew over the water under the bright sunlight. Soon, the words "Level 1" showed up. A big blue blob appeared, with a glowing centre. Shiina moved the control stick. The small spaceship moved around. She pushed a button, and the small spaceship fired a black laser at the blob. The laser hit the glowing centre, causing a massive explosion.

Then, the words "Level 2" appeared, along with an eel-shaped blue blob. Shiina moved the ship and fired at the glowing core. The blob exploded. Then, the words "Level 3" appeared, along with a UFO-shaped blob.

Shiina, after 10 minutes, remained focused as she shot down the cores against the ticking clock, which began at 32 seconds and increased if the bar next to the timer did not drop down. The time remained frozen at 16.53 seconds when he reached Level 50.

Then, she reached Level 53 and she had 5,600,000 points. Shortly thereafter... Time expired. Shiina finished at Level 65... With a hefty score of 8,653,991 points!

* * *

Shiina left Club SEGA and walked to the middle of Theatre Square. Then, she heard her cellphone go off. She picked it up. "Hello, Ms. Amamiya?" someone said, "This is Uesugi of Sakuya. Aoi just left and I have tallied her sales for the day."

"Perfect." Shiina said, "What's her count for the day?"

"¥500,000 in sales!" Uesugi cried, "That's amazing considering it's her first day in Sakuya!"

"It's not bad at all." Shiina agreed, "But she's going to have to turn it up if she is going to be able to pass my test."

"True…" Uesugi agreed, "Er… Ms. Amamiya, why don't you come by the club and check on her during her next shift, hm?"

"I'll make sure I do." Shiina answered,

"OK, see you then." Uesugi said and hung up.

* * *

Three minutes later, Aoi arrived in her usual overcoat and her orange hair with a sunflower hairclip. "Sorry I'm late." She said,

"Nice work today." Shiina said, "Getting used to it?"

"Yes, but…" Aoi said,

"But, what?" Shiina asked,

"I'm anxious on how much I made today." Aoi answered,

"Would you like to hear your result at the moment?" Shiina asked,

"Really? Yes, please." Aoi answered,

"OK…" Shiina said, "Your sales figures today is…"

There was silence for a few seconds. "¥500,000." Shiina said,

"500,000?" Aoi asked,

"Correct." Shiina said, but quickly noticed that Aoi is hanging her head low, "What? What's wrong?"

"No…" Aoi said, "I know that's a lot and it's a good start. But that leaves me to earn 2 and a half million more in two days."

"Don't worry so much about it." Shiina comforted, "You had to get used to the place today. Also, you didn't have a full shift."

"Right…" Aoi said, feeling skeptical at Shiina's words

"No, really!" Shiina chuckled, nervously, "You're gonna be OK. I know you can do it. I promise you that."

Aoi giggled. Shiina asked, "Is something funny?"

"You're a very interesting young woman, Ms. Amamiya." Aoi complimented,

"Oh yeah?" Shiina asked,

"You tell me that this is a test and then you assure me it's going to be OK." Aoi said,

"What's wrong with that?" Shiina asked, "I mean… It's not like I want you to fail after all."

"Don't you?" Aoi asked,

"Of course not." Shiina said, "I want to lend you that piano if at all possible. It may be a test, but I'm cheering for you from the bottom of my heart."

"Ms. Amamiya…" Aoi said, touched by Shiina's choice of words

"Plus, I know you'll keep going until you reach your goal." Shiina continued to reassure, "Especially with something as precious as the golden piano is on the line."

"Yes, you're right." Aoi said, "I can do this. You'll see."

"Heh." Shiina said, "Don't worry so much about it. Fighting off stress and staying relaxed is only half the battle."

"OK." Aoi said,

"Now… let's just enjoy our date together." Shiina said, "Anywhere special you want to go?"

"Do you mind if I ask why are you being so nice?" Aoi asked,

"Because, I think you're worth it… That's all." Shiina answered, sincerely

"But this isn't still part of the test, is it?" Aoi asked,

"Not really, but…" Shiina said, scratching her head, "Do you remember what I said about going on a date earlier today? I'm pretty sure that part is still in effect."

"Gee…" Aoi said, "That's kind of a stretch."

"Ow…" Shiina said, in a giggling mood, "Just keep me company for a bit, OK? Now that that's settled, where do you want to go? You get to choose."

"Hmm… Well… there's somewhere I'd like to go, if you don't mind." Aoi said, nervously

"Of course not." Shiina said, "Where exactly is this place?"

"A place over in the Champion District." Aoi said, "I'll recognize it once we've arrived."

"Yes?" Shiina said, "All right, then. Let's go."

They both ran to Shichifuku Street and ran to the east. Unfortunately, a man cried to Shiina, "Hey! Remember me? Well, do ya?"

Shiina shook her head. "You don't?" the man cried, "Then how's about I jog your memory?"

Shiina quickly got to work on the two men. When one man fell flat on his stomach, Shiina finished him off with a spinning boot to the face. Shiina then finished off the first man with her quick kicking combo attack.

"Oh… shit!" The first man cried, "I got the wrong girl… Take this and forget it ever happened!"

Shiina got ¥10,000 from the man. Then, Shiina and Aoi kept going. They turned right to go into Senryo Avenue. They reached the western entrance to the Champion District. "Hmm…" Aoi said,

"Is it around here?" Shiina asked,

"I think so..." Aoi answered, "It's just… It's been so long ago."

"Do you want to take a quick look?" Shiina asked,

"Sure." Shiina answered and they both went upstairs.

* * *

They were at the rooftops at a building in the Champion District. "Wow…" Aoi cried, "I recognize this place! This brings back so many memories!"

"Yeah?" Shiina asked,

"It was one of the taller buildings back then. It really stood out." Aoi said, "But so many taller ones now, it seems so small."

There was silence for a few seconds. "How do you remember this place?" Shiina asked,

"I was here when me and ten other people visited Kamurocho a year ago." Aoi answered, "We all had a lot of fun here."

"I see." Shiina said,

"But, tell me something." Aoi asked, "Why do men… and young strong women always look up?"

"Pardon?" Shiina asked,

"They work themselves to death for that one big break, and they end up forgetting their loved one by their side, friend or otherwise." Aoi said,

There was silence for a minute, and then Shiina said, "I suppose a girl in my line of work may be biased, but… Whether it's family, friends or ones you love, it's tough to make anyone happy without something that they love. I may not be a guy, but I take this responsibility very seriously. That's why we're desperate to claw our way up to someplace stable. Well… that's my theory anyway."

"I'd be OK without anything if things were just the way they were." Aoi said, "I would've been more than happy."

"But you came to me, yes?" Shiina said, "Looking for something to get back with a loved one."

"Strange, isn't it? I never really cared about a gift, and now I end up needing so much." Aoi said,

"Life is strange." Shiina said, "Why do money and gifts make the world go round?"

* * *

Aoi was leaning forward on a gate, while Shiina was leaning back on it. She looked up at the sky and said, "If gifts and money can make people happy, I wonder if I could do the same with you."

"Huh?" Aoi said, looking at Shiina. Shiina then looked back at Aoi and hugged her, very tightly.

Then… they pulled back. "But… why didn't you pull back before?" Aoi asked,

"I'm wondering myself." Shiina answered,

"I suppose it just felt right with you." Aoi replied,

"Gosh…" Shiina said, "It's been only two years since I felt this way. But, for some reason… I feel… complete again."

Aoi giggled, but she stopped when she heard, "A-Ah! Getting all hot and heavy, huh? Give us some of that sugar, babe!" Five men arrived and walked progressively closer to the girls. Shiina walked around and noticed the lapel pins on the leader's suit. "Not you guys again!" Shiina complained, "Aren't the Shibata Family ever bored?"

"HUH?" The leader cried, "You got a death wish, girlie? If you know we're Shibata, then you better learn some manners!"

"I know all there is to know about you guys." Shiina taunted, and then said, "Even though you guys brag that you're one of the top families in the Tojo Clan, everyone else thinks you guys are still the perennial bitch! You know… I feel bad for you boys."

"You fucking brat!" The leader cried as his men surrounded Shiina, "Change of plans, boys… We're gonna fucking kill you!"

Shiina prepped herself for battle and grabbed the leader, who had a katana in his hand. She walked backwards for a bit, whilst still dragging him by the collar. Then, she launched him away with a long kick.

Shiina then grabbed another man and… tossed him out of the rooftops! She then got to work on bashing a large, sumo man with a kicking combo attack of her own, but missed her shots against him, but finished her double axe and roundhouse kicking combo against a man with a pistol in his hands. As soon as the leader got up, Shiina blasted with a short rising kick combo attack.

He went down and Shiina decided to crouch and say, "With a sword, you're not much."

"That hurt…" The leader said as he got up and tried to slash Shiina, only for Shiina to sway back and pick up an outdoor ashtray. She then bashed it on the leader's head, punched him twice in the gut and… gave him a shot in the face!

Shiina did a running jump kick, successfully hitting the large, sumo-type man three times. The man with a gun shot Shiina twice, only to dizzy her for a while. That would lead to the large sumo man to dash towards Shiina and smack her with a body shot that sent her flying. She managed to get back on her feet quickly. Shiina then took out the gun-wielding man with her double axe and roundhouse kick combo attack.

Shiina picked up the fallen leader's katana, grabbed the big sumo man and smashed his gut with the katana. She then proceeded to spank him six more times in the back. On the seventh and last spank, she let him go.

Shiina then tossed the katana away. She grabbed the last guy and taunted, "What? You're the last one left!" Her pink aura came back instantly. Then, she grabbed him again by the collar, dragged him to the edge of the area… and tossed him out of the rooftops!

"Whew…" Shiina said, "We better get out of here before more show up. Come on!"

* * *

Shiina and Aoi ran to Park No. 3. Shiina then said, "We're safe here. I'm sorry if I dragged you into this. I've kind of gotten wrapped up in something as of late."

"No…" Aoi then said,

"Hey, are you OK?" Shiina asked, "You're not hurt, are you?"

"N-No!" Aoi cried out, "I'll be OK."

"Much as I hate to say it," Shiina said, somewhat dejectedly, "I think we should call it a night. I really hate to run into more of them."

"You're probably right." Aoi replied,

"Well… give it your all tomorrow." Shiina said, "I'll come by whenever I can to check up on you."

"OK." Aoi replied,


	4. E1C4: The Promise

(A/N: Well... Much of this chapter has recycled stuff from my other works. You might recognize which ones. The next chapter will be a prologue leading up to Haruka Nogizaka's part of the story.)

Chapter 4: The Promise

(四章: 約東)

Today was June 14th, 2010. Inside NPC was nice and quiet and it seemed like nothing was happening at the time. Touka and Shiina were sitting between each other next to the coffee table. Shiina had just explained everything regarding the Shibata Family.

"So that's why they're onto us." Touka replied,

"Yes." Shiina replied, "What about you? Have you found out where Mai-chan may have been?"

"Nothing at the moment." Touka replied,

"I see." Shiina replied,

"The Tojo Clan Headquarters has asked the entire organization looking for her." Touka said, "It's only a matter of time before they do find her. If we don't do something, those Ueno pricks will eat her for lunch and dinner!"

"Yeah… Things are pretty grim." Shiina admitted,

"I can't sit around and not do a goddamn thing!" Touka cried, "I gotta go and find her! At least before the Tojo Headquarters does. I want to know the truth! I mean… she would never do shit like this without a reason!"

"Listen, Tennoji-chan." Shiina said, "Even if Mai-chan had a good reason… How do you plan on explaining it all to the top brass in the Tojo Clan?"

"What do you mean by this?" Touka asked,

"Just remember." Shiina cautioned, "Their relationship with the Ueno Seiwa Clan has gone south, not close to hitting rock bottom, but still. But everything gets swept under the rug if they hand over Mai-chan. It really doesn't matter to the Tojo Clan why Mai-chan did what she did – or even IF she did it."

"So… what?" Touka cried, "She just gets to be their scapegoat?"

"Pretty much." Shiina answered,

"But she…" Touka stammered,

"I know Mai-chan very well and she is a very smart girl." Shiina said, "She knows this isn't about whether or not she can prove her innocence. That's why she's gone into hiding."

"So what do we do?" Touka asked,

Shiina then left money on the table. "Please take it." She said,

"Huh?" Touka cried, "What that's for?"

"This is the only way I can help now. I really wish I could do more." Shiina answered, "Find Mai-chan before the Tojo Clan or the police do. We can worry about the rest then."

"But…" Touka stammered,

"Consider this your war chest for tracking her down." Shiina said, "I've got other stuff to take care of and you're the only one I can count on."

"Amamiya…" Touka said, "Why are you doing this?"

"Let's just say it's an investment." Shiina replied, "It's because… Mai-chan's worth it."

"What's the connection between you two, anyway?" Touka asked,

"Does it really matter?" Shiina replied, in a mildly rude tone

"Yes! It does matter!" Touka cried out, "I'm looking for Asahina to get some answers. And I'm not going to take this money unless you tell me what you're up to!"

Shiina sighed, disgustedly. "Please, I need to know." Touka begged,

"Fine." Shiina replied,

* * *

Shiina then stood up and walked over. "That's because… we were best friends." Shiina finally answered,

"What?" Touka cried, "You two were truly best friends?"

"Yes." Shiina said, "Do you remember… back at Hakujou… that the three of us, myself, Ryoko and Mai hung out together?"

"Er…" Touka tried to answer, "I never really notice you."

"That part is true." Shiina replied and showed her a photo of her and 10 other people. "I was directly involved in something that happened two years ago and that made both Ryoko and Mai happy. But… something happened in which all three of us were jumping for joy…"

* * *

"Two years ago…" Shiina explained, "We had P.E., and I was performing so well at cross country and all sorts of running events that I grew very tired… but I was also so happy at the same time."

"Why was that?" Touka asks

"I actually beat the school record at the 100-metre dash, which was back then 9.95 seconds. I got 9.90 seconds! After when P.E. finished, I drank my water bottle, but later when I was going to class in the third period, I began to feel dizzy. People were concerned for me as I rushed to a bathroom. Unfortunately, I was too weak and fainted the moment I got inside. The last thing I saw before I shut my eyes… was someone and his men."

"Ah…" Touka said, "And I'm guessing they abducted you and brought you to Kamurocho?"

"Correct." Shiina continued, "But someone came to rescue me. Have you ever heard of a young gangster named 'The Angelic Dragon'?"

"No, actually." Touka replied,

"He was a friend of mine at Hakujou." Shiina said, "His name was Yuuto Ayase. He came to save Haruka Nogizaka from some kidnappers in Kamurocho. But, when I saw him fight off the group of men that abducted me, he had the strength, the vigor, and the intensity of someone who once ruled Kamurocho with an iron fist."

"Wow…" Touka admitted, "He must be a strong guy himself."

"He is!" Shiina cried, "We both tagged along to find Haruka and defeat more Hitmen. In the end, he did save Haruka… but at the same time, I was left alone, walking alone in Kamurocho's streets. But then… it all changed."

"Why?" Touka said, "What happened?"

"Months later, after Yuuto saved Haruka, I was having lunch with both Ryoko and Mai and talked about the possibility moving to Kamurocho." Shiina said, "And then… it happened."

"What?" Touka cried, "Tell me! Don't keep me in the dark!"

"I was given a building deed for all three of us to share…" Shiina said, "Signed by the Angelic Dragon himself, Yuuto Ayase!"

"Huh?" Touka cried, "He became a gangster already? It takes years to get him to rise up!"

"Well… because he saved Haruka and aided the Straight Life Association, which was a Fuma Family sub organization within the Tojo Clan. And the Tojo were aware of us helping them out." Shiina answered, "As a result, Yuuto started a yakuza family."

"We all shared this shop that you see here." Shiina continued, "And the three of us were so happy together. But… it all changed one day."

"Why?" Touka asked, "What happened?"

"You see…" Shiina said, "Mai-chan got a letter from the Tojo Clan, stating that she is enlisted in a yakuza family. I guess you know which one."

"Ah…" Touka said, "I can only guess."

"Your group." Shiina answered, "I was sad to see her go."

"It wasn't too bad. I kept looking out of the window and even at times, when I went out, Mai-chan always did her job and is willing to protect people who are weak. In my mind, I placed a bet on her that she would take her spot as one of the youngest yakuza of the Tojo Clan, alongside Yuuto Ayase. One day, I want to see her rise up and become queen of this concrete jungle, much like Yuuto became king before her."

* * *

"Kamurocho attracts all kinds of people, ranging from the weak to the strong." Shiina continued, "It really is a kind of jungle."

Shiina stood up and continued, "There's one thing that everyone had in common…"

"And what is that?" Touka asked

"That would be… a dream." Shiina replied, "Everyone who sets foot in Kamurocho wants to live the dream… They want to land the perfect man, get rich and strut their stuff. Big or small, every one of them has a dream to fulfill. But only a tiny few ever make it come true. Still, they won't quit on their dream. It's what keeps us going, right?"

"Yes." Touka replied,

"People want to keep their dreams alive." Shiina said, "They need someone who can show them what's possible."

"Someone like… Asahina and Ayase?" Touka asked,

"You got it." Shiina replied, "For better or for worse, people are drawn to strength, and I now believe that she's got more than enough to do what it takes. I've seen it first hand." Shiina walked for a bit. "Every jungle needs both a king and queen. This town is no exception. Kamurocho has always looked to the yakuza for its lions. Not one person was able to step up after Kazuma Kiryu, the man they call 'The Dragon of Dojima', left and well before Yuuto Ayase stepped in. And without a king and queen, the lesser beasts all wander off in search of a lion somewhere else."

"Wow…" Touka said, "That's really deep."

"Well, jungles aside, what I'm really saying is that I'm betting everything on Mai-chan to rule this town, alongside Yuuto." Shiina said,

"I see." Touka replied, and then she cried with confidence, "And… I'm in on that dream, too. I'll find Asahina, no matter what price I have to pay! I'll use the money you gave me to make it all happen!"

"Great!" Shiina replied, "Give me a call if anything comes up."

"Got it!" Touka cried happily and bowed.

Ryoko came in the door, crying out, "I'm back!" She quickly noticed Touka. "Ah, Tennoji-san."

"Hello." Touka said and bowed to her. She quickly left.

* * *

"Wow… That took longer than I thought." Shiina admitted, "Maybe I should check in on Aoi."

"What are you on about?" Ryoko cried, "You've got overdue fees to collect!"

"Wait, did someone have a payment deadline today?" Shiina asked,

"Not today." Ryoko answered, "But 3 days ago! People don't pay on time unless you remind them! What if they skip town?"

"Who're we talking about?" Shiina asked,

"The owner of Marimba, that bar in the Champion District." Ryoko cried, "Now go and collect that payment!"

"OK. So I'll head to Marimba." Shiina cried,

"That's what you said three days ago!" Ryoko cried, "Just please GO already?"

"Fine! I'm on my way." Shiina cried

* * *

But as soon as she went downstairs, she got a call. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's Uesugi of Sakuya." The man replied,

"Oh. Hello, Mr. Uesugi. What's up?" Shiina replied,

"Aoi showed up for work. If you could spare some time, you should come and give her some pointers." Uesugi said,

"Right. I'm on my way there." Shiina replied,

"Great. We'll see you soon." Uesugi said and he hung up.

Shiina thought as she put her cell phone away, "Ryoko won't like this, but I'm going to go to Sakuya for a bit."

Shiina decided to walk across the alleyway where Park No. 3 is, but a street gang member stopped her. He cried, "I'm soliciting donations for the poor children of the world. You know what that means, right? Hand over your money!"

Shiina quickly got to work on the two hoodlums. One of which she easily defeated with her various kicking combo attacks. Then, she did a spinning kick when the other one went down after a combo attack of her own.

"Please stop! I'm sorry!" the hoodlum cried, "I'll never do anything like that again! Here, take this."

Shiina got ¥5,000 for the fight. She then ran to Sakuya.

A few hours later, after Shiina gave pointers to Aoi about how to become the top hostess in the club, she then ran towards Pink Street, and right behind someone. "Stop right there!" a man cried, "Can't you see you stepped on my foot? Now, I'm all injured and stuff! 'Fraid I'm gonna have to ask you to pay me for the pain and sufferin' So, gimme your wallet, bitch!"

Shiina dodged a punch from behind! "Nobody calls me a bitch and gets away with it!" she cried and got to work on the five yakuza heavies. At one point, Shiina picked up a sign and bashed it on a yakuza gangster's head! She tossed both of them to the side!

She then defeated a katana-wielding gangster with her quick kicks. She picked up the katana and slashed down the remaining thugs.

"Now I'm really injured and stuff. Pretty badly too from the looks of it." The first gangster cried, "But I'm sturdier'n I look, so don't waste time worryin' about me. Here, you can have this." He chuckled and gave Shiina a Staminan XX.

"Hmm…" Shiina thought, "This Staminan is weaker than the Royale. I'll keep it though."

Shiina then ran through Taihei Boulevard to Senryo Avenue. Then, she entered in the Champion District through the west entrance. She found Marimba.

"Hello!" Shiina cried, "Is anyone there? I'm Shiina Amamiya from NPC!"

Nothing happened. "I guess I can come back later." Shiina thought, but quickly noticed the same kanji for "Great Actress". "Great Actress?" she thought, "Is that the…"

"I wonder…" Shiina thought, "I know that Aoi told me about this place, but… let me take a look."

Shiina walked in the bar. It was quiet and somewhat of a mess. Then, she walked through a door that said "Private". What she saw in there was a shock to her, "What the…?"

She found a dead man. "It's the manager… He's… He's dead!" Shiina thought in utter shock, "Guh… and it smells like shit in here! It's been a few days since he died out."

She looked around the office and noticed a lapel pin on his suit. "Wow… So this is the Shibata Family's insignia… He must have been affiliated with them." She also noticed the pool of blood near the seat. "The blood… it's all dry now." But, what mystified her was… the candy. "These packs of lollipops with the logo… must be given out to customers for free… It's just like the one Aoi had." She also looked at the computer. It had a list of employees. What surprised her is the gender. "My god… The employees, except the manager, were transvestites! This must be a tranny bar."

Then, she thought, "I'm done here. I better go before someone sees me."

* * *

"Wow… Two people, half-naked and dead…" Shiina thought as she went outside, "It was just like Touka said when she found Kanemura murdered… Is there a connection here? I better find out soon. For now, I have to head back to NPC and quickly!"

She ran there very quickly cutting across Taihei Boulevard and Tenkaichi Street to reach her destination. "Hey, Ryoko-chan!" Shiina cried, "You have no idea what I came across… Huh?"

Then, she noticed a big mess… and Ryoko lying down on the floor. "Ryoko-chan! What happened?" Shiina cried,

"Um… well…" Ryoko began

* * *

An hour ago, Ryoko came back with some goods from Don Quijote, which is a discount store in Kamurocho. "Ah, Tennoji-san!" she cried, "I'm sorry! I just was out to get a few things!"

"Oh! Sorry, the door was unlocked and…" Touka cried, and put the book back on the shelf.

"Shiina-cchi's out getting payment money right now." Ryoko said, "I expect that she'll be back sometime soon. Here, please sit and have a bit of tea."

"Aw… You didn't have to do that." Touka cried

"So, what brings you here today?" Ryoko asked as she is making the tea, "Did you forget something?"

"Err…" Touka said nervously, "I wanted to run by something with Amamiya. I tried calling her on her cell, but I can't get anything." She then sat down near the coffee table.

"That's true!" Ryoko cried, as she served Touka tea, "She always switches off her phone while she's out gallivanting through town. It's a wonder anything gets done around here!"

Touka chuckles, "That's Amamiya for you!" Then, she sipped on her tea.

Just then, a blonde, shaggy-haired man in a black jacket, a purple shirt and black pants came into the office. Four other men in street clothes came into the office.

"I don't suppose they're here for some equipment." Touka said,

"Again?" Ryoko said in a cute manner, "They don't give up, do they?"

Then, she turned to the five men. "I apologize, but can you kindly leave here? My boss went out to take care of some errands." Then, her mood turned mean. "If you've got something to tell me, tell me now!"

The purple-shirt man approached Ryoko and reached inside his jacket… and took out his pistol. Ryoko gasped. "Watch out, Ryoko-chan!" Touka cried,

The purple-shirt man whacked Ryoko's head with the pistol, which dropped her body to the floor.

"Ryoko-chan!" Touka cried and ran to her aid.

* * *

"Sorry, Shina-cchi…" Ryoko cried, weakly, "I tried to stop them, but…"

"No, I should've been here to protect you." Shiina admitted, "I'm the one that should be apologizing. Was it those pricks from the Shibata Family again?"

"No…" Ryoko cried, "It was some guy named Midorikawa from the Hatsushiba Clan."

"Hatsushiba Clan?" Shiina cried,

"That's right." Ryoko said, "And he said something about their boss and Shibata being really tight. That Midorikawa really had a motor mouth. He kept telling me things that I didn't even ask about."

"They're after Tennoji-chan, too?" Shiina asked, "Where is she anyway?"

"That's just it." Ryoko cried, "Tennoji-san was here when they showed up. Midorikawa's men surrounded her and beat her into submission. Then, they hauled her off to who knows where."

"They took Tennoji-chan?" Shiina asked,

"She didn't stand a chance." Ryoko said, "She was completely outnumbered."

"Huh." Shiina said, agreeing with Ryoko that Touka wasn't an exceptional fighter herself.

"Er… Shina-cchi?" Ryoko said,

"Sorry. I was just thinking about something else." Shiina said, "OK, so they kidnapped Tennoji-chan, but the question is why?"

"No idea." Ryoko admitted, "Oh! But, Midorikawa also stole our client registry! It sounded like one of the reasons they came here in the first place. He said something about borrowing it, but I doubt we'll ever see it again."

"The client registry?" Shiina asked, "What do they want that for?"

"Who knows?" Ryoko said, "I'm just worried about Tennoji-san."

"I'll definitely be dropping by their place… the Hatsushiba Clan's place and get back what they borrowed." Shiina said,

"Go get 'em, Shiina-cchi! Just don't do anything crazy!" Ryoko warned

"I can't leave you here like this!" Shiina cried, "And… are the cops blind? They didn't take notice of those goons busting in?"

"Don't worry about me. I already called an ambulance on my cell." Ryoko said,

"Really?" Shiina said, "Well… you truly are on top of everything, even if you are the silly one."

* * *

"OK…" Shiina thought as she went outside, "Time to make good on that promise."

She pulled out her cell phone and made a call. Unfortunately, she didn't get a response, so she left a message. "Hey, Ayase Kumicho! This is Shiina Amamiya of NPC. I need a bit of assistance. Some Hatsushiba Clan members tore up NPC, kidnapped Touka Tennoji of Kanemura Industries and stole our shop's client registry. I need your help or at least a push on achieving these goals. If you receive this message, please give me a call. In the meantime, I'll ask around." She then hung up and went downstairs.

"Time to go around town and ask people." Shiina thought. She ran towards Theatre Square but quickly noticed a group of men hanging around a corner near the Tower Battle poster. She went up to them and said "Excuse me."

"What the hell do you want?" One of them dressed as a yakuza asked,

"Did you guys happen to… you know… hit NPC hard as of late?" Shiina asked,

"How the fuck do you know about that?" He and his three men cried out,

Just then, three men arrived. One said, "Sorry I took so long… What the fu… Shiina Amamiya? Why are you here?"

"Hey, boys." Shiina cried, "Itou, Kobayashi and Takahashi from Loans Kamuro, yeah? Didn't I kick your asses the other day?"

"Yeah, uh… funny story about that." Kobayashi said, "Your timing's perfect! We were just on our way to trash the shit out of NPC."

"Yeah!" Itou cried, "We're gonna pay you back ten times over for what you pulled with us!"

"Sorry, boys. Someone just beat you to it." Shiina admitted, "Do you still want to kill me over this?"

"Fuck yeah!" Takahashi cried, "We're not gonna give up until your pretty little ass is dead!" Then, he turned to his yakuza cohort. "This is that Amamiya bitch we were telling you about. You should fuck her up real good!"

"Amamiya, yes?" the yakuza asked, "Nothing personal, you understand. But these guys asked for my help. Sorry, but that means you're in for an ass-kicking."

"You really don't learn, do you?" Shiina cried, "Let's get this over with. You should've never run your mouth on me like that. You'll regret it."

Shiina got to work on the six men that were crowding her. Shiina grabbed Itou and then she threw him down. Then, she smashed his face with a boot to the face. Just then, she cried out in her head, "I've got it!" Then, she did a handstand and smashed Itou's head with her right knee!

"You boys still want to play?" Shiina taunted, and then she ran to the remaining five men. She jumped on one and smashed the other two with her extended legs!

"Now, you two!" Shiina taunted both at Kobayashi and Takahashi. She then smacked both of them near a wall, and Shiina managed to beat Takahashi with her combo attacks. Finally, she smashed Kobayashi with her foot. He hit the wall and… POW! Shiina finished him with her axe kick to the head!

"Sh… Shit!" The yakuza cried, "You didn't say that she was some kind of fucking monster! This is bullshit! I'm outta here!" The three cohorts ran off.

Kobayashi was panting. "And here I said to you that I'd be cool if I didn't see you three again." Shiina said, "You boys are true geniuses, you know that? You think you can stay in business in your line now that you've been served on a platinum platter in front of half the city? Tongues are really going to start waggling. Nobody's afraid of a toothless loan shark. You can kiss those loans of yours goodbye right now."

Kobayashi growled. "Let me give you some advice." Shiina threatened, "Hop on the next bus or train out of this town. Go to Osaka, go to Sapporo, I don't care. But, stay the hell away from here if you don't want to be embarrassed again."

Itou cried, "She's right! We're fucked if we stay in Kamurocho now. Let's find some new place and start over."

"I'll second that." Takahashi admitted, "I'm sick of this shit! C'mon, Kobayashi!"

"Yeah, whatever." Kobayashi said, and then turned to Shiina, "OK, Amamiya. We'll leave. But mark my words; I'll be back in Kamurocho some day! And I'm gonna be huge. So huge, I'll make your place look like a five-and-dime. Just you wait."

"I'll still be here when you do." Shiina said,

"Oh, and here's a little tip for you." Kobayashi said, "I saw a group of yakuza types a little while back."

"Really?" Shiina said,

"Oh yeah!" Kobayashi said, "One of them was all bloodied up. They were talking about NPC, which got my attention. Thought you'd want to know."

"Where'd they go?" Shiina asked,

"Down under the theatre." Kobayashi said, "You can get in past the lockers there."

"OK." Shiina said, "Thanks for the information."

"See you around, Amamiya." Kobayashi cried and he and his other two cohorts left.

Shiina thought, "Seems that Midorikawa and his boys went down the stairs past the lockers and under the theatre. I have to hurry."

Then, she received a text message. It was from someone of the Ayase Family. It read,

"Hey, Shiina.

I got your message. You were right about Touka Tennoji of Kanemura Industries being abducted by the Hatsushiba Clan. I got information from one of my members that they are based in an underground area under the theatres and that they definitely work closely with the Shibata Family. I sent one of my members to wait for you near the coin lockers on Taihei Boulevard. Look for Yoshiaki Yamabuki. He'll help you out.

I'll have some of my members clean up your place a bit. I'll let you know once that is completed.

Yuuto Ayase

Patriarch of the Tojo Clan's Ayase Family"

She ran to the lockers and saw a big, sumo-type yakuza standing. "Excuse me," Shiina asked, "But are you Yoshiaki Yamabuki?"

"Ah, yes!" He answered, "Yuuto sent me here to help you out. I might have found something if you follow me."

"OK." Shiina said, "Lead the way."

Yoshiaki went ahead and Shiina followed him down a long hallway. He stopped to speak to someone. After a brief discussion, Yoshiaki went to Shiina and said, "Sorry, but we can't come in this part, because apparently, the doors to the Hatsushiba Clan office are locked out."

"Great…" Shiina said, angrily.

"Thankfully," Yoshiaki continued, "There's an alternate entrance to the underground behind the doors of the Millennium Tower. It's an elevator. Please follow me to them."

"Oh! OK." Shiina cried, "By the way, Yoshiaki-kun, are you going to fight alongside me?"

"Sorry, but…" Yoshiaki said, "I don't want to get involved with the dealings of other yakuza families, especially since what's been happening with the Tojo and the Ueno Seiwa Clans. Ayase Kumicho told us to stay out of it."

"I understand." Shiina said, "Lead on." Yoshiaki ran ahead to the back door of the Millennium Tower. Once he made it, he then said, "I'll have to leave you now. I'll let Ayase Kumicho know you're safe."

"OK. Thanks for everything, Yoshiaki-kun." Shiina said, and gave a short kiss in the cheek.

Yoshiaki chuckled, now amused as he left, "I gotta tell my boss…"

Shiina smiled and went in the elevator.

Shiina looked around. She was amazed by what she saw. "I never seen this side of the Millennium Tower before!" she thought in awe. She saw a few beams hanging above. The floor was metal with a gate to act as a floor. There was also a sight of subway trains going back and forth. Then, she saw another hallway that led to a door. She then opened it.

* * *

She found herself in a gate-like room. "Who the hell are you?" someone cried. Shiina was facing five street hoodlums.

"Yep, these guys are definitely members of the Hatsushiba Clan." Shiina thought,

"I'm Shiina Amamiya. You know, NPC? Always a pleasure." She said,

"NPC?" a member of the Hatsushiba Clan said, "We don't need no loan sharks here."

"Sorry, but I clearly have no time for small fries like you." Shiina said, "Bring me Midorikawa, please… and now."

"Huh?" another Hatsushiba Clan member cried, "The fuck you want with the boss?"

"Nobody borrows anything from my company without a contract being signed." Shiina said,

"What the fuck are you talking about?" the third member cried,

"It's like this, see…" Shiina said, "You have something that belongs to me, and I'm here to reclaim it. So you're going to give back Tennoji-chan and my client registry, now."

"The fuck we are!" The fourth Hatsushiba Clan member cried, "How's about we bash your fucking brains in instead?"

"You know, it'd be a whole lot easier if you just returned what you borrowed." Shiina said, "But, hey… I guess it's just one of those days…"

Shiina prepared herself. She easily finished off one member with her butterfly kick combo attack. She was smashed with two stabs of a knife that knocked her down. "Ow… That hurt!" she cried

She finished off another with her combo attack. She grabbed a member and cried, "You're not much, are you?" She pushed him off.

She grabbed another member, bashed his face to the wall, elbowed his head and he slumped down. It was enough for Shiina to bash his face with her foot! She then finished off another member with her double axe and roundhouse kick combo attack. She finished off the lonely member by stabbing a knife, right into his chest dropping him to the floor!

She broke open a gate and ran upstairs to the next floor. She traversed through each and every floor, taking out every Hatsushiba gangster that crossed her path, until finally…

* * *

She found herself in the Hatsushiba Clan office. "Tennoji-chan!" Shiina cried, finding Touka tied up on a metal floor.

"Amamiya!" Touka cried,

"Hey, you're good." Midorikawa, the shaggy haired man, cried, "Real dedication to the job."

Shiina walked forward. "So, you're Midorikawa." She said, and then pointed to the sweatshirt-wearing man in the seat. "Then, baldy over here is the Hatsushiba Clan chairman? I don't know what you want with Tennoji-chan or my registry, but how about you just give them back?"

"You heard the man, boss." Midorikawa said, "What do you say?"

The Hatsushiba Clan chairman chuckled, and then said, "Amamiya, was it? I'm afraid you've got the wrong idea."

"How do you figure?" Shiina asked,

"You didn't LEND this to us." The chairman said, "You GAVE it to us. So you see, you can't ask for it back. That's rude."

"OH! I forgot about that." Shiina said, "If I gave it to you, it'd be a totally different story."

"That's right." The chairman said, "I'm so glad we're in agreement here."

"Absolutely." Shiina agreed, "Now, you can GIVE it back to me."

"What?" The chairman cried, now that his mood is sour.

"Just playing along with your little game." Shiina said cheerfully, "Isn't this fun?"

Midorikawa chuckled, and then said, "You're a freaking riot! You really think you can take us on?"

"We won't know unless we try now…" Shiina answered, "Won't we?"

"Oh, I know the answer already, but hey. Why not?" Midorikawa said and then yelled out, "I'll send you back to your bitch secretary in a fucking body bag!"

* * *

Midorikawa took a shot at Shiina. Shiina successfully swayed to evade it. Shiina did a butterfly kick combo attack that took down Midorikawa. Shiina did a soft kick on Midorikawa while he was down.

Midorikawa got up and tried to shoot Shiina, only for him to miss. Shiina then hit him with a low horizontal shot. Then, Shiina ran up and did a triplet kick on Midorikawa hitting him in the air. Shiina then smashed Midorikawa with two squat-and-axe-kick combo attacks. Shiina gave him an extra kick while he was still in the air.

Midorikawa got up and did a harsh pistol-whip. On the second pistol-whip, Shiina countered the attack with a harsh counter-kick, which took down Midorikawa.

"Heh. Come." Shiina taunted,

Midorikawa got up. Shiina guarded with her leg up. Midorikawa did a pistol whip, which broke her guard, but… POW! Shiina surprised Midorikawa with a harsh roundhouse kick!

Midorikawa stammered and ran to the door. Then, four thugs walked over.

Shiina attacked the big, heavy thug for a bit. Then, Shiina ran up and jump-kicked on a thug and made a star-shape with her body, which took down two more men with her falling feet.

All three men got up. Shiina attacked the three lighter thugs with separate kicking attacks. Then, he got behind the big, heavy thug. The big, heavy thug tried to strike. But he got hit with a hind kick to the private area. Shiina did a backflip and smashed the big, heavy thug with her feet, bringing him down!

Shiina then defeated the purple-jacket thug with his rapid-fire kicks. Shiina waited for one of the lighter thugs to strike and… POW! Shiina counter-kicked the attacker, which took him out. Shiina waited for the last lighter thug to strike and… POW! Shiina counter-kicked the attacker, which took him down.

Shiina crouched and cried, "What's up with you?"

She then got up. Shiina spun and smashed her victim's face with a kick, which made the downed body twirl. Shiina did a mini-handstand, dropped down and... POW! She smashed the thug's face with her right knee!

"Phew…" Shiina said, "That's all of them." Then, she heard chainsaw noises. Shiina turned around at the door and… BAM! Midorikawa screamed and he is armed with a lethal chainsaw! "You little bitch!" He yelled and ran to Shiina.

Shiina held the chainsaw up, only for Midorikawa to kick her near a table. Shiina quickly grabbed a iron rod. "DIE!" Midorikawa yelled as he violently lowered the chainsaw at Shiina. Shiina blocked it with the iron rod.

Midorikawa shuddered as he tried to break the iron rod that Shiina defended herself with. Soon, Shiina evaded the chainsaw and smashed Midorikawa with the rod, both times in the head! That attack took down Midorikawa.

Midorikawa got up. He whiffed the chainsaw at Shiina and at the second whiff, he got hit by Shiina's counter-kick strike. Midorikawa still remained standing. "That shit won't work this time!" He yelled,

Shiina then tried his two quick kicks and quickly swayed back. Midorikawa whiffed his chainsaw four times, only to miss. Midorikawa tried a jumping strike, only to be stuck. Shiina did her roundhouse kick combo attack.

Midorikawa lifted his chainsaw up. Then, he ran to Shiina, with the chainsaw in front of him. Shiina managed to evade the attack. Shiina delivered her squat-and-axe-kick shot on Midorikawa. Midorikawa turned around and did two short whiffs. He then spun the chainsaw.

Shiina did two quick kicks after Midorikawa missed his strike. She quickly swayed back, anticipating another chainsaw attack from Midorikawa. Shiina then did her two quick kicks and a quick axe kick, and then quickly swayed back before Midorikawa tried his four whiffs, which missed.

"Give it up, bitch!" Midorikawa yelled, "You can't win!"

"I'm trying hard to beat this guy… but how can I do it?" Shiina thought, and then she noticed the wall, "I wonder…"

Shiina swayed back to the corner. Midorikawa whiffed his chainsaw four times, still missing Shiina. Shiina thought, 'Wait for it… wait for it…'

Midorikawa rushed at Shiina with the chainsaw in front of him. Shiina swayed and then… Shiina bashed Midorikawa's head to the gate where he crouched.

"I've got it!" Shiina thought and then, she bashed him with two single kicks and a twin jump kick. She did this again and finished the attack with a harsh axe kick… right to the head! Midorikawa grimaced for a bit… and could not get up anymore!

* * *

"Thank you…" Shiina said, and bowed, "And goodnight." Then, she saw the chairman making his move with the registry in his hands. "Going somewhere, chairman?"

The chairman knew he was spotted, but it was too late to make his move. "P-Please! Forgive me!" He cried, "Here! I'll return your registry!"

"Hold on." Shiina said, "I'm a bit lost. Didn't you say that I gave you that? If that's the case, there's no need to return it. I'll just take it after I beat you senseless."

The chairman bowed. "No! Please!" He cried in cowardice, "You were right all along! I'm sorry, OK?"

"OK, then…" Shiina said, "But, in return, you have to tell me why you took it and abducted Tennoji-chan in the first place." Shiina went to untie Touka. She stood up.

"I was doing Shibata a favour." The chairman explained, "He wanted me to help him find some bitch named Aoi."

"Did you just say Aoi?" Shiina cried,

"Why is Shibata looking for her?" Touka asked,

"Hell if I know!" the chairman said, "But he looked real pissed when he was talking about finding her."

"So that's why you took my registry." Shiina deduced,

"Yeah." The chairman said, "We knew she'd be in NPC. If she was a client, you'd have her contact info in your registry."

"But that still doesn't explain why Shibata wants her that bad." Touka said,

* * *

Both Shiina and Touka walked out via the coin lockers. "Sorry to put you through all that, Amamiya." Touka apologized

"Huh?" Shiina said, "Don't mention it. You're going to make me feel self-conscious… Besides, it wasn't like it's your fault. Even Ryoko couldn't stop those guys."

Touka then said, "Still…"

"Look, I got my registry back, and Ryoko got off with just a bump to her head." Shiina said, "We're good, OK?"

"All right." Touka said, "I should probably take off. Thanks again!"

"Well… time to head back to NPC." Shiina thought, but suddenly she heard her cell phone go off again. It was another text message from Yuuto himself. It read,

"Hey, Shiina.

My men have cleaned up your office for a bit. Judging by why Ryoko wasn't there, I assume she was at the hospital, thanks in part of the Hatsushiba attack at NPC. Hopefully, it will be as you put it, 'business as usual'. Just to ease your troubles, I have also set up men guarding the office both in the lower and upper levels for if in case attacks like this happen again. I really hate to see an old classmate's shop getting damaged by unfriendly yakuza.

Remember, if you need anything, feel free to call me.

Yuuto Ayase

Patriarch of the Tojo Clan's Ayase Family"

"Hm." Shiina thought, "He's such a good yakuza boss. I'm glad to have teamed up with him two years ago."

She then ran off back to NPC heading towards Taihei Boulevard and ran south at Tenkaichi Street. Then, she went into the alleyway. She saw the two members of the Ayase Family. "Hello, Ms. Amamiya." One of them said, "Please proceed."

"Thank you, gentlemen." Shiina replied, and went up the stairs.

She went inside and looked at the office. It was nice and neat again. "Wow…" Shiina thought, "Yuuto's men did a really nice job of keeping the office neat and tidy like before! I'm glad he's on top of everything. Speaking of being on top of things, I know today is Aoi's last day at Sakuya. I wonder if she achieved her goal of ¥3 million in three days… I'll go over to Sakuya to see if she needs some pointers."

She then left NPC in a flash, and rushed downstairs. She greeted her guards and left to Sakuya. She tried to cut across to Nakamichi Street via the Park No. 3 alleyway, but was stopped when someone cried, "Wait a minute, miss. Who gave you permission to come this way? It's called a toll, and you need to pay it. Now!"

Shiina didn't make her move and the man grabbed her back. "Hey! Pay up or prepare for some bruising!" The man yelled and attempted to punch her… only to miss. Shiina easily defeated him and his two cohorts with her flurry of kicking combo attacks.

"I-I'm sorry!" The man cried, "Toll? What toll? There's no toll!" He then chuckled. "This won't make up for much, but please take it."

Shiina was given a Toughness Emperor. Shiina thought as she looked at it, "It's ten times better than the regular Toughness Z! It's a must-keep, for sure!"

Shiina then ran off to Sakuya.

* * *

A couple of hours later, after coaching and dressing up Aoi multiple times, Shiina returned to NPC. Then, she got a phone call. "Hello?" she said,

"Hello, Ms. Amamiya." The caller said, "It's Uesugi from Sakuya."

"How are you this evening?" Shiina asked,

"I'm fine, ma'am." Uesugi replied,

"So… how did Aoi do?" Shiina asked,

"I just finished totaling up her cash receipts." Uesugi reported, "On the course of three days, she has made… ¥3,650,000."

"Wow…" Shiina said in awe, "She did it! That's truly amazing!"

"I know you said that she'd only be here for three days, but the club would really benefit if she wanted to work here." Uesugi said, "She truly has rare talent for keeping customers happy. Business has been booming since she came."

Shiina chuckled, "That's great news! Is Aoi there now? I'd like to speak to her if she is."

"OK." Uesugi said, "Please hold."

Then, Aoi spoke. "Hello, this is Aoi."

"Hello, Aoi." Shiina said, "I heard you did really well."

"Yes, and it's all thanks to you, Ms. Amamiya." Aoi replied,

"No… it's all you, Aoi – your natural talent and hard work." Shiina complimented,

"But without your guidance, I'm sure I wouldn't pass the test." Aoi said, "And for that, I'm so grateful."

"Glad I could help." Shiina said, "About that piano, I have it ready for you if you have a moment to meet."

"Sure." Aoi said, "Where should I go?"

"How about the roof of the Millennium Tower? I'll see you there." Shiina said,

"OK… I'll be waiting." Aoi said,

"Great. Bye." Shiina said and hung up. She then wrote an official deed to the golden piano. She then called someone… Afterwards, Shiina ran downstairs and right to the Millennium Tower. She went inside and took an elevator to get to the roof.

Shiina leaned on a gate and sucked on a lollipop. She then saw Aoi approaching her. "There you are." Shiina said, "And right on time, too."

Shiina continued, "I knew you kept your promise."

"Ms. Amamiya…" Aoi said,

* * *

Shiina then handed the deed to the golden piano to Aoi. "Well, here's the deed to the golden piano, as promised." She said, "It'll be delivered to you in approximately 24-48 hours, wherever you may be."

"Thank you so much." Aoi said as she got the deed. "At first, I thought I would take it and go… But, you gave me the courage… to dream again. It's been so long. That's why I'm going to treat this item as it were my life."

"About that…" Shiina said,

"Hm?" Aoi said,

"Don't worry about it." Shiina said,

"What?" Aoi cried,

"You don't have to pay me a cent." Shiina said,

"But, I don't understand." Aoi cried,

"I didn't get into this business for the money." Shiina said, "Money changes people's lives. I just like to see it up close and personal."

"Why did you pick this sort of test for me?" Aoi asked,

"Well… I normally never say why I implement these tests to them." Shiina said, "Do you want to know that bad?"

"I do." Aoi said,

"Well, this time, it wasn't to determine how serious or determined you were." Shiina replied, "Truth be told, I was only testing myself."

"Testing yourself?" Aoi asked, "How does that work? I don't understand."

"How can I put this…?" Shiina said, "Let's just say that I don't believe I'm the best judge of character."

"Why do you say that?" Aoi asked,

"I've been betrayed quite a bit over the last couple of years." Shiina said, "It'd almost be funny if it weren't so tragic." She then chuckles.

"That's awful!" Aoi cried,

"It's true." Shiina cried, "I was left alone after successfully saving a guy's girl from a yakuza-oriented organization. Just the other day, a female yakuza I'd been backing up kills a man and then disappears. It got me wondering if I should even bother anymore."

"I'm so sorry…" Aoi said,

"But what do I expect now?" Shiina said, "Still, I'd like to think that I'm safe with the people I trust. For instance, the guy who saved his girl two years ago… I forgave him. I mean… I'm only human, here."

"So how did having me work at your club test yourself?" Aoi asked,

"Because I found you alluring." Shiina answered, "Enough to make 3 million in three days. I wanted to see if my hunch was right. Sorry for putting you through this for such a dumb reason."

"Don't be silly." Aoi cried, "I feel lucky to have met you."

"Maybe," Shiina said, "But luck isn't something that just finds you. You had to get there and put yourself in a position to be lucky. At any rate, I couldn't be happier that you passed the test."

"Ms. Amamiya…" Aoi began,

* * *

"I only ask that you answer one question." Shiina said, sternly

"And what's that?" Aoi asked,

"Aoi… why are going around killing people?" Shiina asked,

Aoi gasped. "You killed the head of Kanemura Industries, didn't you?" Shiina said,

"N… No, I-" Aoi stammered,

"And the manager at 'Great Actress', too." Shiina said, "Why do you go and do something like that?"

Aoi didn't answer. "It was the pack of lollipops." Shiina said, now telling Aoi what she found at 'Great Actress'.

"Pack of lollipops?" Aoi asked,

"You that pack you had when you first came to my office?" Shiina asked, "It had 'Great Actress' written on it. And when I asked, you said that you used to work there."

"That's… true." Aoi said, nervously

"I know you didn't work there, since I found out it was a tranny bar, so… where did you get that pack of lollipops?" Shiina asked, more stern than ever. Then, she asked, "It was when you killed him. Am I right? There was a Shibata lapel pin in his jacket. At first glance, I thought it was someone else from his family, but I was off. When those Shibata thugs jumped us on our date, they were after you – not me – weren't they?"

Shiina then asked, "Who are you… really? What's your connection to the Shibata Family?"

Aoi said nothing, until finally… "Ms. Amamiya."

"Hm?" Shiina said,

"You said I didn't need to pay a cent." Aoi said, "All you wanted was for me to answer your question."

"I did. And I do." Shiina said,

"Well… I'll pay you back soon, no matter how long it takes." Aoi said, with confidence

"I see." Shiina said, "So you don't want to tell me."

"I'm sorry." Aoi said,

"Are you leaving?" Shiina asked,

"There's something I still need to do." Aoi said,

"Fair enough." Shiina said, "I guess that means we won't see each other for a while."

"No." Aoi said,

"Well…" Shiina said, "When it's all over, come by the office. You can pay me back then."

"I will." Aoi said,

"Well…" Shiina said, "I'll be looking forward for that."

Aoi smiled, bowed and left. Shiina continued to suck on her lollipop and looked up to the sky.

* * *

As soon she left the Millennium Tower, Shiina got a phone call. She picked it up. "Oh, hey, Ryoko-chan!" she cried, "Everything A-OK?"

"I'm still waiting on a number of test results, but so far, everything is A-OK!" Ryoko cried, "They'll probably release me soon."

"That's great news." Shiina cried, "I have some good news, too. I found Tennoji-chan and got our registry back."

"You did? Really? Way to go, Shiina-cchi!" Ryoko cried,

"You take care." Shiina cried, "I'll talk to you later." Then, she hung up. She quickly ran across Taihei Boulevard and ran through Tenkaichi Street. Just then, a hoodlum cried, "You! Stop right there! You've been carefully selected from a crowd of thousands! You're the one I'm gonna beat up today! Hooray! Lucky you!"

Shiina put on a disgusted face. "C'mon, show some enthusiasm!" the hoodlum cried and tried to punch Shiina from behind… only to miss. She easily defeated him and his cohort.

"Y-You're strong…" the hoodlum admitted, "No, please—no more. Take this. I'm sorry I messed with you." He gave Shiina ¥5,000.

Shiina ran back to NPC. Shiina explained to Ryoko that the golden piano loan is successful, but no money will rain in. Ryoko became extremely upset at this and suddenly, she ran downstairs and onto Tenkaichi Street! The chase ended at the Children's Park. In the end, Ryoko quit her job at NPC. Shiina felt a bit depressed, especially since it's hard to let go of what happened two years ago…

Shiina got another call. This time, it was from Uesugi at Sakuya. "Ms. Amamiya! I'm so glad you answered!" He cried, "Some problem customers showed up. They look like yakuza."

"Yakuza?" Shiina asked, "We get people like that all the time."

"True, but that's not the problem." Uesugi said, "They apparently know about Aoi and keep asking to see her. They're starting to make a scene."

"They want to see Aoi, huh?" Shiina said, "Hm, that is a problem."

"That's what I've been saying." Uesugi said, "I'd normally handle it myself, but they came in a big group."

"OK, hang tight." Shiina said, "I'm on my way."

"Sorry about this, but please hurry!" Uesugi said and hung up.

Shiina raced back to Sakuya.

* * *

When Shiina went inside, she heard singing… and terrible singing coming from a man with a red workout pants, a skull tattoo on his back, a near Mohawk and facial piercings. He just finished his song and his group clapped.

The tattooed man noticed Shiina. "The fuck are you?" He asked,

"I'm the owner of Sakuya. Shiina Amamiya." She introduced herself. "And you are?"

"I'm Minami… of the Majima Family." The tattooed man replied,

"Majima Family?" Shiina asked, "Wait… the high-ranking Tojo Clan family that is working on Kamurocho Hills?"

"Know any other Majimas, fuckwad?" Minami retorted, but just then, he heard a new song. "I… Ooh! Hang on." He said, "This song right here Is my jam." He then whooped to the beat as he prepared to sing his song. His group began to clap.

Shiina clapped softly as she reached for the remote. She switched the song off. Minami tripped down. He said, "Wha-?" Then, he noticed Shiina with the remote. He yelled, "The fuck you do that for, ass clown?" He tossed the microphone at Shiina, but she easily dodged it.

"Whoops. Sorry." Shiina retorted, "I thought I hit the "Pause" button. I must have hit "Stop" by mistake."

"Haw?" Minami cried,

"Sorry, it's kind of dark in here." Shiina said,

"You pushed the wrong button 'cause it's dark?" Minami asked, "You shittin' me, girl?"

Shiina smiled. Minami simply said, "OK. No big. Shit happens." He went to a boombox and picked up another microphone. He then pressed buttons on the remote to play back the song he heard before Shiina switched it off.

"Er…" Shiina said, "Minami, was it?"

"The fuck you want now?" Minami cried, now speaking on the microphone.

"Um… To what honour do we owe this visit?" Shiina asked,

"Oh, that!" Minami cried, "We heard some broad named Aoi works here. Word is that she's a fuckin' hottie. Thought I'd come an' get it on with her."

"Aoi, huh?" Shiina said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but she no longer works here."

"HUH?" Minami yelled, "Say what?" But he yelled so loud that there was lots of feedback from the microphone and it was so bad that It nearly destroyed Shiina's eardrums. "Well… ain't that a kick in the dick."

"Did you need to see her for a particular reason?" Shiina asked,

"The fuck I know." Minami said, "The boss just said to bring her back to him."

"Your boss, huh?" Shiina said, "By that, you mean Majima himself?"

"That's right." Minami said, "So get talkin', girlfriend. Where the fuck is she now?"

"Sorry, sir." Shiina replied, "But we take the privacy of our employees very seriously, sir. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"You jerkin' my chain, chick?" Minami cried,

"I don't sell out my people." Shiina said, "Even the ones who aren't with us anymore."

"Heh! We got a fuckin' heroine here!" Minami cried,

"Guilty as charged, my friend." Shiina replied, "I like to take care of all my employees."

"No shit?" Minami cried again, "You ain't half-bad, girl. But I ain't fuckin' around here. Yakuza ain't in the habit of leavin' empty-handed."

"Are you asking for money?" Shiina asked,

"Fuck your money!" Minami yelled, "I ain't leavin' till you tell me where this Aoi bitch is!"

* * *

"If you won't leave on your own, I suppose I'll have to make you." Shiina said, "Last chance to leave quietly."

Minami then chuckled and said, "You got some big fuckin' balls, girl. Too bad I'm gonna smash 'em like grapes!" And he tossed down the microphone on the floor as the two prepared for battle.

Shiina did her rapid-fire kicks on Minami. He blocked all her fleet feet. But when it came for the double axe and roundhouse kicks, Minami was taken down by both kicks. "Man… You're hot…" Minami admitted as he got up.

She tried again, only to have the quick kicks blocked. Shiina backed off for a bit. Minami took a bottle and drank the contents. Minami attempted a chop, but Shiina swayed back. Shiina did a running triple kick on Minami, which dropped him to the floor. Shiina spun and smashed Minami's face with a kick, which made the downed body twirl. Shiina did a mini-handstand, dropped down and... POW! She smashed Minami's face with her right knee!

Minami quickly rose up. Shiina giggles, "Gee… this is what the Majima Family is giving me?" Little did she know that Minami took another bottle and drank its contents. Minami then did three chops; a middle kick and a series of sweep kicks that took down Shiina.

"Now you've gotten better." Shiina admitted as she got up, "Now this is a challenge!"

Minami attempted a backflip, but Shiina managed to block it. Then, she hit Minami with her double axe and roundhouse kicking combo attack. Minami quickly rose to his feet and tried to zip at Shiina, but… POW! Shiina smashed Minami with a backwards kick, hitting the private area. Shiina did a backflip of her own, and… POW! She smashed Minami's head with a harsh kick!

Minami got up. He then drank yet another bottle, but spat out the contents at Shiina! Shiina ducked and blocked Minami's series of punches. Minami tried to do a spinning body slam, but Shiina jumped up and… BAM! She flopped Minami down with her left leg and finished the counterattack with a right knee to the head!

Minami could not get up anymore. "Tch." Shiina taunted, "You want more of me? You know you do…"

* * *

His group cried out for his boss. Minami panted and cried, "I ain't… done yet. This shit ain't close to over."

"You know, I'm actually impressed." Shiina admitted, "They make 'em tough at Majima's place."

"Fuck…" Minami cried, "This ain't over yet, bitch!"

"Enough." Someone said. Everyone turned to look at the person who said that. The person who said that had steel-toed shoes, a well-gelled haircut and a snake eyepatch on his left eye… all while wearing a black suit. "I heard enough singin' from you at the last party." He said,

"B-Boss?" Minami cried,

"Boss?" Shiina said, "Wait a second, you're really Majima?"

"I figured this tone-deaf fuck told ya already," Majima said, "But we're lookin' for Aoi. She here?"

"She doesn't work here anymore." Shiina replied, "Probably already left town."

"So…" Majima said, "Late to the party then." He then walked away.

"Wait…" Shiina asked, "What do you want with her?"

Majima sat down on a sofa. "Shibata's men have been after her." Shiina reported, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Majima-san?"

"Yeah? The Shibata Family…" Majima said, sternly,

"Please, Majima. I have to know." Shiina asked, somewhat in a pleading manner, "Just who is she? Why are you people after her?"

Majima looked at Shiina. He can tell that the information is vital for her, because she needs to know what is happening. "Simple." He said, "Mika's the girl I gotta protect."

"Mika?" Shiina cried, "Is that her real name? Why do you have to protect her?"

Majima then answered, "I gotta make amends for what I didn't do then… two years ago…"

"Amends?" Shiina asked, as she wanted to hear out what Majima had to say. She knew that this is more than what she had truly bargained for when she came to Kamurocho.

[End of Part 1]

第一部: 完


	5. Episode 2 Prologue

Prologue

Today was August 20th, 2008. It was a sunny day at a lush mansion on the edge of town. A girl went near a window and looked outside. She smiled as she looked at the sun. She seemed to be excited about something. She opened the window and let her hair be blown.

Just then, she heard a door downstairs open. She rushed to the bottom floor. She then saw a man with a nice haircut, with an eye patch on his left eye, and is wearing a nice suit. "Oh, big brother!" the girl cried,

"Hey." The eye patch man replied,

"Ah, Majima-san!" A little girl with brown hair and a sunflower ponytail cried, "Welcome! Welcome!"

"Thought I'd drop 'in and say hi." Majima cried, with his briefcase in hand.

A larger, much burlier man in a black suit and sunglasses came in. "Hello, Majima." He said, and shook his hand. Everyone in the room walked to a meeting room. "Man, it's freaking hot today, Nogizaka!" Majima complained after sitting down. "An' it's near the end of the summer! What's up with that?"

"Yes." The burly man said, "It's almost 32 degrees today. It's like the whole country's burnin' up."

"Whole country?" Majima said, "Try the whole world. We're destroyin' the Earth's environment."

"Well… don't you sound educated." The burly man said,

"Hey! I know some shit!" Majima cried, standing up, "The ozone layer's all messed up, too."

"Who says?" The burly man said,

"Someone from my group." Majima answered, "He's yakkin' about the environment's the next big thing, brother. Even yakuza are sayin' we gotta take care of this planet."

"They're morons, you know…" The burly man said,

Majima took out something from his bag. It was a watermelon. "Here." He said when he placed it on the table.

"Wow! A watermelon!" the young girls cried,

"Yep." Majima said, "Perfect for a hot day like this, right?"

"You're right, Majima-san!" the blonde girl cried, "They're so good at this time of the year!"

"They sure charged me for it, Haruka-chan!" Majima cried, "But what the hell, right? We won't be eatin' anything like this for a while. Why not go all out?"

"What?" The short brunette girl said, "Why?"

The big burly man looked around and then said, "Hey, Haruka. Mika. It ain't everyday we get Majima here." He then gave the watermelon to Haruka and Mika. "Go take the watermelon to Sakurazaka and Nanashiro. Cut it up and share it with them."

"Sure, OK, dad." Mika agreed and carried the watermelon. She and Haruka left Majima and her father to their business.

As soon as they both left, and both the Nogizaka father and Majima were watching, Majima looked at the Nogizaka father and said, "What, Gentou? You keepin' both Haruka, Mika and Akiho in the dark about this?"

Gentou scoffed, "Damn right. I ain't tellin' her that we're defending the Nogizaka mansion against a bunch of guys tomorrow."

"You don't gotta put it like that." Majima said, "Just say we're goin' away for a while. At least say goodbye, you owe it to them."

"Hell with that." Gentou replied, "It's bad luck." Then, he placed his hands on the table. "So… you brought me something? Let's see."

"Yeah…" Majima said, and took out his briefcase. He placed the briefcase on the table. When Gentou opened the briefcase, he found six pistols. Majima took one out, and said, "This shit's for real. Got 'em through an underground source. Hundred percent certified."

Gentou looked at a pistol. "Six handguns." Majima continued, "Six shots each. That's 36 slugs total."

"Thirty-six, huh?" Gentou asked,

"Up against Yoshiharu Ueno and whatever Seiwa Clan assholes he's got with 'im." Majima said,

"How many we figure?" Gentou asked,

"Thirty max." Majima answered,

"Probably a one or two shots each." Gentou deduced, "I'll take those odds." He then placed the pistol back in the briefcase.

At a hallway, Haruka cried out loud, "Oh no! Sorry, Mika, but go on ahead! I forgot something back in the meeting room!"

"OK, big sis!" Mika cried, "Just don't be too long."

Haruka rushed back to the meeting room, but before she could open the door, she then heard, "Listen, Nogizaka."

"Hm?" the other person said,

Haruka thought, "That must be my father… and Majima-san… What are they talking about?"

"If you want out now, it is that time." Majima said, "It's this household against 30. I'm sure your private army, the Hell Hounds, can handle it, too. Even with surprise on our side, those are ugly odds. We'll be lucky to get scratches on our face…"

Gentou got up and leaned on a window. Majima then said, "I won't be leaving anyone behind. I've been ready since Kazzy got me back into this business. But, you've got your family… Haruka, Mika and Akiho." Gentou said nothing. "Gentou Nogizaka, are you really sure you want to leave them behind?"

"Brother…" Gentou finally said, "Your Kansai accent's slippin'."

"Wha…" Majima cried, "I'm fucking serious here-!"

"I made my peace." Gentou interrupted and turned to Majima, "You'd gladly die for your old friend. I'd be damned if I didn't do the same for my own family. That, and…"

"And…?" Majima asked,

Gentou leaned back on the window. "I gotta know, brother… If I, Gentou Nogizaka, will get special recognition from the Tojo Clan."

"Gentou…" Majima said, knowing full well that Gentou is ready to die for his family. Little did Haruka know is that she heard everything…

* * *

The following day, August 21st, 2009… the Nogizaka mansion was quiet. Gentou looked on, with his private army. He looked at his watch. "Come the fuck on, Majima! Where are ya? Shit!" Gentou whispered, angrily

Then, he saw ten cars coming in. "Shit…" Gentou whispered, "That's way more than thirty."

He noticed that one hundred men have arrived. Some with guns. Some with swords. Gentou took his six pistols and placed some in his pants. He placed a gun in his shirt pocket. He even placed a gun in his teeth. He carried two pistols.

The men rushed at Gentou and the Hell Hounds. Gentou fired his pistols. He emptied his clips on six men, while the Hell Hounds shot down 10 more. The Seiwa Clan men killed five Hell Hound members.

The noise was loud enough to wake up the entire Nogizaka household. A brunette, kimono-wearing woman named Akiho looked outside and cried, "Ahh! We're under attack!"

She rushed to a room and cried, "Sakurazaka! Nanashiro!" Akiho cried, "Wake up Haruka and Mika! Get them to safety!"

Two girls, a grey-haired maid and a black, longhaired maid awakened and ran to their daughter's room. They shook both Haruka and Mika. Both of them woke up. "Haruka!" one of the maids cried,

"What is it, Hazuki and Nanami?" Mika asked,

"Our mansion is under attack!" Hazuki, the grey-haired maid cried, "We have to go!"

Haruka gasped and got up. Mika did the same. The four of them were rushing through hallways. On the corner of Haruka's eye, she saw Gentou retreating inside the mansion, still firing his shots. Just then, a man shot Gentou! "Dad!" Haruka cried,

Gentou's body fell backwards. "Haruka! Mika!" Hazuki cried, "Nanami and I will try to hold them off! Run!"

Haruka and Mika ran off. Haruka was crying as she ran. Her father was shot and killed! On the corner of her eye, she saw something in a room! She stopped quickly to see. Her mother, Akiho… was impaled with a katana. Two men standing on her noticed Haruka and cried out, "Kill her!"

Haruka gasped and kept running. Just then, she accidentally kicked a pistol. She picked it up and fired it. She shot and killed both men after her! "Come on, big sis!" Mika cried, "Don't stop! Keep going!"

Soon, they came outside. "Split up, big sis!" Mika cried, "We'll meet each other at the safe house!"

Haruka nodded and ran off around the mansion. She rolled into a bush. She then saw a man, aiming a pistol on Gentou's head. The man with the flattop said, grimly, "Nothin' personal, Nogizaka… It's just business."

"Kill… me…" Gentou said faintly, "But… what you do… will come… back… to haunt… you…"

Then… BAM! A gunshot rang. Haruka couldn't take it anymore and she ran away, hoping to find a safe place away from the enemy yakuza…


	6. E2C1: The Nogizaka Fortress

(A/N: This is a new episode and the main protagonist for this part is Haruka Nogizaka. Here's a short description of her as you may see in the actual anime series:

"Haruka is the main female character of the story, and is Yuuto's classmate. Due to her beauty and intelligence, she is idolized at school and regarded as the school's most unattainable girl, even known by the French nicknames _Nuit Étoile_ (The Night Star) and _Lumière du Clavier_ (The Piano's Light). She is very skilled at playing the piano and has taken overall victories in international contests. She also has a gentle personality, is a natural airhead, and is quite clumsy. Her deep hidden secret is that she is a major otaku and loves anime and manga. In middle school, her secret was exposed and she received a certain amount of prejudice towards it which caused her to keep it a secret once she entered high school. When Yuuto finds out about it, Haruka is relieved that he does not tell anyone or harass her about it. She also comes from a rich family and privileged upbringing, so her interest in the otaku subculture is looked down upon due to her status in society, which is another reason why she keeps it a secret. Haruka once fled to a park after being scolded by her father, several years before. It was here that her anime obsession started when Yūto gave her the first issue of _Innocent Smile_. While being very talented, she cannot draw well, but does not realize it because she is too proud of it for anyone to tell her directly.

Two years ago, shortly before the raid (see previous fic: Tenshi no Ryuu), Haruka was kidnapped by the Hitmen and she would have been killed in a few days, had Yuuto not intervened. But, he did and he saved her life, thus truly starting a relationship with each other. Now, she's at the centre of the Ueno Seiwa Clan's raid of the Nogizaka mansion and is looking to avenge her dead family."

And now for our feature presentation...)

Episode 2: The Angelic Phoenix

(第二部: 天使の不死鳥)

Chapter 1: The Nogizaka Fortress

(一章: 乃木坂の城郭)

6:05 PM. August 20th, 2008. A few hours after the attack. The Nogizaka mansion has left almost every household member dead. Police suspect that the attack to be part of a feud between both the Nogizaka family and the Ueno Seiwa Clan. Executive involvement of both parties is investigated as police began searching for witnesses or any known relatives to both parties.

Former Nogizaka family patriarch, Oki Nogizaka, was in total grief to hear that many of the members of the Nogizaka household are killed, including his son, Gentou. He did not wish to speak about the incident. As a result, police had concluded that the attack was orchestrated in a silent fashion by an unknown party.

Two years later, June 11th, 2010. A young woman, long thought to be dead in the Nogizaka-Ueno Seiwa raid finally comes out hiding and suddenly sees the result of the chaos from two years ago...

Haruka, in her yellow dress, came out of a hiding place and looked outside the next day. She was crying after what she saw. Her entire mansion is trashed and in ruins. She knew her parents sacrificed their lives to protect her from enemy yakuza. She then yelled, "Mika!" She didn't hear anything.

She ran around the field, and yelled again, "Mika!" No response.

Just then, she saw six men in suits crowding around her. "My, my…" their leader said, "Looks like there is a God."

Haruka shuddered. "Looks like lady luck smiles upon us." The leader continued, "Do you even know who we are?"

Haruka continued to shudder. "We're the Ueno Seiwa Clan." He said, "We're the top men from the Ueno Seiwa Clan."

Haruka shuddered even more. "We killed everyone in the mansion that you live in." He continued, putting fear into the lonely Nogizaka daughter, "Your maids… and your parents were appetizers… And now… we finally found the main course."

Haruka looked around. It didn't seem there was anyone there to help. "We're going to do make your death quick and painless." The Ueno Seiwa member taunted, "Time to die, Nogizaka!"

Just then, she quickly thought of something, "My military martial arts! I haven't forgotten them! What if I…"

Haruka then did two punches on a Ueno Seiwa member and leaned back for a harsh punch, which connected and dropped him! Haruka punched a member and leaned back. She did a charged overhead punch, which launched the member in the air! Haruka then tried three quick punches on a member and smashed him with a charged jumping knee!

"Wow…" Haruka thought, "I haven't lost my touch. I have to defeat the other guys!"

Haruka got to work on the fourth Ueno Seiwa member and smashed him down and out with her three punches and a charged jumping knee. Haruka grabbed the first Ueno Seiwa member that she hit by the collar and bashed his face on a rock twice and then… POW! Haruka stepped on his face!

She then bashed the second Ueno Seiwa member with her quick punches. At the third set, he was taken out. Haruka then focused on the third Ueno Seiwa member and defeated him with her two punches and a charged straight punch. Haruka then grabbed the fifth Ueno Seiwa member and defeated him with three punches in the face, gut and face again. Haruka then saw the sixth and last Ueno Seiwa member and dodged his punch. She grabbed him from the back of his collar, bashed his head on a rock, kicked his face and… POW! She punched him in the face for the finish!

Haruka looked around and was amazed. "Wow… I can't believe I actually fought and defeated these men." She thought,

Then, she went to a fallen Ueno Seiwa member and stepped on his head. "I will never forgive what you did…" She cried, "But, I'm not going to kill you."

Just then… POW! She was knocked in the head from behind and fainted.

Haruka awakened and found herself in a locked room in the mansion. "Where am I…?" She said as she looked around.

She was shocked by what she saw. "This is my room! But… did those Ueno men mess it up?" She thought, and decided to look in her belongings.

In her drawer was a magazine called "Innocent Smile". Innocent Smile is a monthly magazine filled with manga. The type of manga that was presented there is the type aimed at young girls. The most notable manga being presented on this magazine is "Clumsy Akichan". "This I have to take!" Haruka thought, "I need something to keep me in line."

Haruka looked at her wardrobe. She still has her old Hakujou Private Academy uniform. "I'll take this. I won't change clothes yet." She thought as she took it out of her wardrobe.

Then, she found a book. "Is that my… military arts book?" Haruka thought, "I have to take this. I may become stronger…"

Haruka tried to open her door. "It's locked!" she thought, "I can't get outside!"

Just then, she noticed something shiny on the corner of her bed. "What is that?" she thought as she took a look, and then she gleefully thought, "It's a metal toothpick! I can definitely use this to get out!"

Haruka then picked the lock and left the room with her backpack.

Haruka snuck out of her room and found herself in a small ruined courtyard. She gasped softly when she saw five Ueno Seiwa members, monitoring the area. "What should I do?" She thought, "Should I just sneak out or… Should I fight them?"

One Ueno Seiwa member cried, "Huh? Is that… Haruka Nogizaka?"

"How the hell did you get out, Haruka Nogizaka?" another member cried,

Haruka slowly walked downstairs. "You wanna suffer like your parents did yesterday? We're gonna make you scream."

"Tell 'er, Ikegami!" another member cried to his leader,

"There'll be no hole for you this time." Ikegami said, "We're gonna bash your brains out right here. Hope you made your peace." He smiled very grimly.

Haruka said nothing, keeping her composure and knowing full well that she will soon make the Ueno Seiwa Clan pay for the murder of her family and maids. "OK, boys." Ikegami ordered, "Time to put this poodle down. She ain't leavin' here alive."

One of his men ran to the door and locked it, and went back to position. "Do it!" Ikegami yelled,

Haruka thought, "I need that key to get out of here. Those Ueno bastards have it and I will kill them!"

Haruka hit Ikegami with her three punches and a charged jumping knee. She extended her combo attack with a punch and an overhead punch. She then bashed one of his cohorts with a quick punch, a charged overhead punch and an uppercut. She then bashed his second of his four cohorts with two quick punches, a charged haymaker and a kick.

Haruka charged at the third of Ikegami's four cohorts, tackled and tossed him down. Ikegami jumped up for a hammer punch on Haruka. It was blocked. Haruka grabbed Ikegami, lifted him up and tossed him down! The toss hit some of his cohorts.

"Repent!" Haruka taunted,

Haruka grabbed the last of the four cohorts and bashed him with a charged jumping knee. She ran to him and finished him off with a harsh punch in the face!

Haruka then focused on each of Ikegami's cohorts, as they tossed short punches. Haruka leaned back and did a spinning punch taking down all her enemies. One was defeated by the technique. Haruka grabbed the second cohort by the head and as the third one came to Haruka… POW! Both men bashed their heads on each other! Haruka let go of her victim. "Get out!" Haruka yelled,

"I don't go down that easy!" Ikegami yelled as Haruka raised her arm to focus her inner energy. Haruka then defeated Ikegami with her single punch.

"Really, Ikegami-san?" Haruka said, "Now, can I have your key, please?"

She eventually took it from Ikegami. She was about to walk away, until… Ikegami chuckled. He then said, "You really think you can escape, Nogizaka? I've got men stationed everywhere in this wreck of a bastion. Just try and get as far as you can…"

Haruka ignored Ikegami and left.

She found herself in a hallway, facing three more Ueno Seiwa members. She easily defeated them all with her newfound techniques. Then, she ran down the hall and at the end of the hall, she then heard, "You fucking brat!"

Then, she saw a knife thrusted at her. She then saw the striker, Ikegami. "Now, you'll see what I'm about!" He yelled,

Ikegami did a jumping stab. Haruka rolled out of the way and smashed him with her three punches, a charged jumping knee, a hammer punch and an uppercut. She then punched him square in the jaw.

"Not yet…" Ikegami muttered as he got up. He then did three slashes, a jumping knee and another slash, dropping poor Haruka.

Haruka growled as she got up. She attempted her three punches and her jumping knee. The combo attack was successful and took Ikegami down temporarily. She waited until he got up. He did three stylized slashes and a kick, but it missed as Haruka was out of its range. Then, she grabbed Ikegami, lifted him up, and tossed him to the wall.

Ikegami growled. Haruka bashed him with another chain combo, consisting of three punches, a jumping knee and a pair of punches. He got up and whiffed his kodachi, only for Haruka to duck. Both fighters punched each other in the gut and repeatedly did so eight more times until… Haruka punched Ikegami twice in the gut and on the hip, pushing him to a window. She grabbed his head, rammed it to the sill, bashed his head on the window, breaking the glass and…. POW! Haruka finished the attack with a bash to the back of Ikegami's skull.

Ikegami was taken out… "Phew." Haruka said out loud,

Haruka quickly defeated two more Ueno Seiwa Clan members that she came across. She found herself on the roof of the mansion. She took out five more Ueno Seiwa members, by tossing them from the roof.

She then went back inside the mansion. Then, she heard, "Get this bitch, boys!"

Haruka saw a group of eight men surrounding her. She growled and then cried, "Bring it on, boys!"

Haruka leaned back with her right foot, and then leaned back with her right arm. Finally, she flew up in the air with a harsh uppercut, which floored half the group of men. She propped up one of the men. She grabbed his back, lifted him up and... POW! She tossed him on one of the other fallen men!

Two of the other fallen men got up. Haruka grabbed a large man by the collar, lifted him up and tossed him to the floor, hitting the other four of six men still standing. Haruka then bashed a group of men with her three punches, a jumping knee and a pair of punches. Haruka then grabbed a man by the collar, and tossed him to the wall!

Haruka then did her spinning punch, dropping both men on the floor. She then propped one up, grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up and spun him down on his comrade!

"That's all of them." Haruka said out loud to herself, "The front gate is ahead, so I just have to run there."

She then exited the mansion through the front door. She ran right for the gate and then... she stopped.

Haruka needed to catch her breath. She then looked back at the mansion and thought, "My mom... My dad... My maids... My little sis... They're all dead... I have no one to turn to now... Maybe Yuuto-san... But... He's not home anymore!"

She sniffled and her eyes were flowing with tears. It was clear that Haruka really missed her family. They treated her with love and respect... and with her family gone, that part is gone. They were OK with her secret of being an otaku... a lover of anime and manga. Now, she has nobody else she trusts to share her secret with.

Just then, she heard footsteps. She was still crying as she faced a group of six men, including Ikegami, whom she defeated on multiple occasions. She growled at the group and yelled, "You killed my family... You destroyed my mansion... You don't deserve my mercy! I'll never forgive you!"

Haruka got to work on several men at once with her single punch, charged overhead smash and uppercut. She then smashed them with her three punches, a jumping knee and a pair of punches. She did not see Ikegami as he smashed Haruka three times with the hilt of his kodachi. He then kicked her and slashed her chest!

Haruka dropped to the floor. She growled as she got up. Haruka then grabbed a man by the collar. His cohort came to Haruka and… POW! Both men bashed their heads on each other! Haruka let go of her victim. "Get out!" Haruka yelled,

Ikegami slashed Haruka and bashed her with the hilt of the kodachi twice. Ikegami did a jumping knee, but Haruka managed to block that. She then smashed three men with her three punches, a jumping knee and a pair of punches. Haruka rushed to Ikegami and tackled him down.

Ikegami got up and grabbed Haruka by the collar. He then hit her on the face, the chest and the back with the hilt of the kodachi. Ikegami chuckled. "You're mine!" Haruka cried as she got up.

Just then, she noticed one of the fallen Ueno men had a gun. She picked it up and shot and killed a member. She then emptied the clip on Ikegami and then tossed the pistol at his face, hitting him. Haruka then grabbed Ikegami by the collar, and then... POW! She slammed him to the floor for the finish!

Haruka panted, both in tiredness and joy. But she looked at the ruins that was the mansion and said out loud, "Mother... Father... Nanashiro-san... Sakurazaka-san... I did it... I'm not sure what I did was right... But, I'm on my way to avenge you all... Who gave their lives... to protect me... from the Ueno Seiwa Clan raid... Yuuto-san... If you are here now... Please... come... save me... again..." She dropped to the floor, and fainted.

There were footsteps approaching. Two unknown figures picked up Haruka's body and carried her out of the mansion and into the unknown...


	7. E2C2: The Phoenix and The Dragon

(A/N: There are a lot of names I came up with for random members of the Tojo Clan's Ayase Family. But the most significant ones are Reiji Kido and Yoshiaki Yamabuki. Reiji Kido, although has the same likeness and name as the character in Atlus' title "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" [first released as "Revelations: Persona"], is not the same dude. Yoshiaki Yamabuki, on the other hand, follows the "Tenshin Ranman" trend (see Episode 1, Chapter 3), but the Yoshiaki name I actually loved so I kept that.)

Chapter 2: The Phoenix & the Dragon

(二章: 不死鳥と龍)

Haruka was sleeping so soundly in a bed and is now changed into her old Hakujou Private Academy school uniform. Then, she woke up. "Where… am… I?" she groggily asked out. Because she was tired, her vision grew dizzy. "I can't… see… anything…"

Then, her vision cleared. She saw two men looking over her. "Yakuza?" she gasped, and then she screamed!

"Hey! Chill out!" one of the men cried out, "It's OK! We're not going to hurt you!"

"Wha…" Haruka cried, "You're… not? If you're not Ueno Seiwa men… then… what are you guys?"

* * *

"Umm…" one of the members said, "We're actually from the Ayase Family… a yakuza group from the Tojo Clan."

"Ayase Family?" Haruka asked, "You mean… you're men from Yuuto-san's yakuza group?"

"That's correct." A longhaired young man in a blue suit came in, "And this is the Amano Building, our headquarters. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Reiji Kido, Lieutenant of the Ayase Family."

"Nice to meet you, Kido-san." Haruka greeted politely,

"And these are some of our members." He said, pointing to the large, sumo man, "He's Yoshiaki Yamabuki."

Kido then pointed to the medium-built man beside him, and then said, "And he's our newest member of the group, Kazushige Iwasaki."

"Nice to meet you, gentlemen." Haruka replied,

"You must be our boss' girlfriend," Kido continued, "Haruka Nogizaka, yes?"

"Oh, uh…" Haruka began to chuckle nervously, "Yes! I am… But, how do you know my name?"

"We checked for ID while we carried you over here." Yoshiaki replied, "Gee… You looked like you were dead when we recovered you from the mansion."

"I'm really sorry about your family." Kido said, in a sincere manner, "I'll address this matter to the boss. He might think of something for you."

"You're going to be OK, Haruka-chan?" Iwasaki asked,

"Yes, I will be." Haruka answered,

"Our boss is out doing some errands at the moment." Yoshiaki reported, "Once he's returned and you're well, you'll be able to see him and talk to him about everything."

* * *

A few hours later, a young man with nicely gelled blue hair and a dark blue suit returned to the Amano Building. He asked, "How is Haruka?"

"She's feeling much better, boss." Kido reported to him, "Yamabuki and I have arranged for the both of you to meet. Whenever you're ready, please go see her. She will be in the infirmary in the 5th floor."

"Thank you, Kido-san." The young man replied, "I may as well go take a look at her." And he walked up to the fifth floor.

* * *

The young man entered the room. "Good afternoon, Haruka Nogizaka." He said and politely bowed, "I'm Yuuto Ayase, Patriarch of the Tojo Clan's Ayase Family."

Haruka giggled, "I'm flattered, Yuuto-san. You still are gentlemanly to me, even though you're a yakuza yourself!"

"I'm glad you're feeling much better." Yuuto said, "Why don't we take a walk to the rooftops of this building?"

"OK, sure!" Haruka cheerfully replied. Yuuto helped her up and led her to the rooftops. When they came across a member of the Ayase Family, they respectfully bowed.

* * *

Finally, they reached the rooftop of the Amano Building. Yuuto said to Haruka, "Isn't the view great?"

"It really is!" Haruka replied, taking a look at the city, "This is my second time in Kamurocho since the kidnapping. I still remember it all like it was yesterday."

Yuuto chuckles, "I'm glad you think that way. I never forgot that day when you accepted me as your boyfriend and I became part of the Tojo Clan."

Haruka giggled again. "Now… Tell me. What happened?" Yuuto asked,

Haruka looked down and did not respond. "My men found you at the remains of the Nogizaka mansion. Do you remember that?" Yuuto asked,

"Er…" Haruka stammered,

"You're OK?" Yuuto asked, "It doesn't seem like you want to talk."

"It's not that…" Haruka cried, "It's just…"

"By the way…" Yuuto interrupted politely, "I am deeply sorry for what happened at the Nogizaka mansion. I am also sorry that your entire household died. I can honestly picture how horrible the killing spree was."

Haruka grew more sadder, but then said in an angry tone, "Those Ueno Seiwa Clan bastards did this! I want to bring them to justice!"

"Hmm…" Yuuto said, "That request seems a little rough."

"What?" Haruka cried,

"Turns out that the Tojo and the Ueno Seiwa Clan are 'equals' to each other." Yuuto reported, "If I had known of this activity before, I would have taken this issue to the Tojo Clan chairman."

"Wh… What can you do?" Haruka cried,

"Unless I have proof that the Ueno Seiwa Clan actually orchestrated the killing, I cannot do a thing." Yuuto confessed, "I'm really sorry, Haruka. I wish there was more I can do for you."

"Fine…" Haruka said, angrily, "I'll go after those Ueno bastards myself!"

* * *

"No. Don't do it." Yuuto said,

"Why not?" Haruka cried, angrily

"I don't know what you've been through," Yuuto said, "But that kind of thing won't help you get revenge. I was on that road before when I went to save you… and I can certainly see that acting out on a grudge will only bring you misery in the end."

Haruka said nothing. Yuuto continued to speak, "If you really want to through with this knowing that, at least tell me why. I don't think I'll be able to help you, unless you speak up."

Haruka looked back at Yuuto and said, "And what if I said it was for my family?"

"It would be OK." Yuuto said, "But your family wouldn't like what you what you're doing. I will do what I can to stop you, right here, right now."

Haruka looked at Yuuto fiercely. She knows that her boyfriend is becoming hostile towards her. "I guess that's a yes." Yuuto concluded,

"I'm sorry, Yuuto-san." Haruka said, fiercely, "But I want to know the truth. Why would my father keep me alive? Nobody will stop me until I do."

"Fine." Yuuto replied, as he and Haruka circled around each other. "OK, then… Consider this a little test to see just how bad you want this."

* * *

They soon stopped and looked at each other once more. "Let's do it…" Haruka cried, and got into her fighting stance. Then, she yelled, "Yuuto!"

"Bring it!" Yuuto replied back, ready in his fighting stance

Haruka screamed and ran to deliver a punch. Yuuto held his own stance and delivered a punch. Both heads swayed to the side as both punches caught air and then they pulled back.

Both Haruka and Yuuto circled at each other. "Come!" Both taunted,

Yuuto's pink featherly aura appeared on his body. Soon, Haruka's golden flamed aura appeared on her body. "Hm?" Haruka thought, "Am I becoming powerful?"

Haruka tried this by punching Yuuto three times. The second punch was blocked. When Haruka tried the jumping knee, a whiffing arm from Yuuto countered her strike. "Looks like the Komaki Hajikigaeshi is still working for me!" Yuuto thought,

Yuuto attempted his single punch and overhead smash. Haruka easily blocked the attacks. Haruka attempted her two punches and a kick. While the first punch connected and hurt hard, Yuuto reversed the kick with his whiffing arm. Haruka tried her single punch and overhead smash, but the overhead attack was reversed.

"Want more?" Yuuto yelled, and maintained his pink aura. Yuuto attempted his multi-punch combo attack. Haruka did her three punches, all of which caught air. Yuuto was caught off-guard by the jumping knee and dropped to the floor.

Haruka yelled as Yuuto got up, "Come at me!" She then dropped Yuuto with three straight quick punches.

Yuuto got up and was dropped again by three quick punches. He then got up, and was dropped again by three quick punches. He got up and just about when Haruka was about to deliver a punch… POW! She flew to one side of the building! "I hate using the Komaki Toraotoshi, but…" Yuuto thought,

Haruka got up. "I'm not done with you, yet!" she yelled, and attempted a single punch, but was quickly reversed by the Hajikigaeshi from Yuuto. He then did his five-hit punch-and-kick combo attack. He rushed to the downed Haruka and stomped on her face. He jumped on it for extra insurance!

"I will… not… quit!" Haruka yelled as she got up. "Bring it!" Yuuto yelled back while making a hand motion. She tried her three quick punches. Yuuto blocked them all and then grabbed her by the collar. And then… BAM! He slammed her face on the concrete!

"I… won't… give… in!" Haruka yelled, despite being in a lot of pain. She then hit Yuuto with three quick punches and a knee. She continued this until… Yuuto got smacked in the head. Both Haruka and Yuuto traded blows, until… Haruka bashed Yuuto in the gut, which flopped him down! Haruka ran up to Yuuto, propped him up and then lifted him up from his legs. Then, she slammed him down hard!

* * *

The two continue to fight, gripping at each other. "You… aren't half bad…" Yuuto said,

"Same to you…" Haruka cried, "I'm actually impressed."

They continue to grip at each other for a long time, until… "Boss! Haruka-chan!" someone cried, "What the hell are you both doing?" Reiji Kido and several of his underlings arrive to see a disgraceful act between the two lovers.

Then, Yuuto let go of his grip. He then cried in deep sadness. "I'm sorry, Haruka!" Yuuto bawled, "I didn't mean to do this! I feel ashamed of myself. I should have known better than to treat you this way…"

Haruka looked at Yuuto and then said, "I know… Yuuto-san. But, do you believe me?"

"I…" Yuuto cried, still in tears, "I'll… See what I can do…" He then kneeled in sadness.

Haruka then began to cry, too. She then hugged her boyfriend. Suddenly, something dropped from her skirt. It was the "Innocent Smile" magazine.

Kido was quick to notice this and thought, "What? Our boss' girlfriend is an otaku?"

Then, he quickly said to his underlings, "Everyone! You've been sworn to silence!"

"Yes, sir!" They all said and quickly left.

* * *

Haruka, Yuuto and Kido went to the Ayase Family Office at the 6th floor of the Amano Building. Yuuto asked Haruka, "So… what are your plans? If what you're telling me is true, then I'm pretty sure many families from the Tojo Clan can protect you, especially the Majima Family. But, from what I heard about the Shibata Family, I don't know…"

"Majima Family?" Haruka cried, "Isn't that… the same man that met my father before the day he died?"

"Afraid so." Yuuto said, "He may be a wild man, but I heard he's pretty cool. Wait a second… you actually met Majima?"

"Yes, two years ago, before the day of the raid." Haruka said, "As you said, Yuuto-san, he's a pretty nice guy."

"Hmm…" Yuuto said, "Maybe he fits into something about that raid. You might have to find him, but for now, try looking around town."

"OK, Yuuto-san." Haruka said, "I also had another question. Why are the Shibata Family hostile?"

"I heard that they were looking for someone important." Yuuto reported, "And I've heard rumors that their rise was thanks in part to the Ueno Seiwa Clan."

"The Shibata Family were backed by the Ueno Seiwa Clan?" Haruka cried,

"I think so." Yuuto replied, "I think you should be careful of who you speak with. You already know that Kamurocho is a dangerous place. There can be shady characters afoot."

"Oh, Haruka-chan." Kido said, "We're a nice group of members. We're not like most yakuza that forcibly extort money and do all these crimes. Truth is, we like anime and manga, too."

"Really?" Haruka asked,

"Oh yes." Kido replied, "In fact, we're the only Tojo Clan family that digs kiddy stuff like that. Our boss made sure to never let the secret out to any other yakuza family, not even those within the Tojo. It basically means your secret is safe with us."

Haruka sighed with relief. "Oh good!"

"If you ever need a place to stay, just come on back here." Kido said, "I'll spread the word to the rest of the family as well."

* * *

"Well…" Haruka said, "I guess this is goodbye for now."

"I understand what you're going through now." Yuuto said, "And I realize that this is far more than just your family being murdered. Trust me when I say this, Haruka: I will do everything in my power to help you. If I have to take this to the Tojo Chairman, I will!"

Haruka smiled once again and then said, "Thank you, Yuuto-san." She then bowed to Kido. "And thank you so much, Kido-san." She said, "For making me feel welcome into Yuuto-san's yakuza group."

Kido chuckled, "You're quite welcome."

Haruka picked up her backpack and said, "Wish me luck, Yuuto-san!"

"Good luck, Haruka!" Yuuto cried,

"Same here, Haruka-chan!" Kido cried

She then left the Ayase Family Office. "Boss?" Kido said, "You think your girlfriend is going to be OK? From what you said to me about two years ago, she's been prone to being kidnapped by shady people."

"I trust her now with my life, Kido." Yuuto replied, "I love her and I wish the best for her. And if anything, I will be there to protect her. But, the way she fought me… I feel she can handle herself just fine."

"Well… I hope so, boss." Kido replied, "Man… I have no idea how you two ended up with each other."

"I told you already, Kido!" Yuuto cried out, "I saved her life from a yakuza-related organization!"

"Heh. Sorry, boss." Kido replied, "Umm… I don't mean to intrude, but… I think I saw a phoenix tattoo on your girlfriend's back while we were changing her clothes…"

"Hey!" Yuuto cried, "Don't talk about my… Wait a second… Since when did she get that tattoo of a phoenix on her back?"

"I have no clue, boss." Kido replied, "But… I guess she's your equal, since you two are in a deep relationship… The Dragon and Phoenix…"

"Hmm…" Yuuto said, "I guess so… I think she'll make a good matriarch to a family…"


	8. E2C3: Searching

Chapter 3: Searching

(三章: 人探し)

Haruka found herself back on the Tenkaichi Street entrance in Kamurocho. She thought, "Wow… This is actually the first time I'm in Kamurocho all by myself. But, it doesn't mean I shouldn't have fun here! I guess I can start asking about where Majima may be residing."

She ran slightly north and a man with a shady past approached her. He told her, "Hey, you! Quit standing around when you're near me! What're you gonna do if the Ueno Seiwa Clan goes after me, huh?"

Haruka jotted the note down, and thought, "There are Ueno men here? I really have to keep my eyes peeled… I don't want them to kill me."

"Take care, little lady." The man said and waved at Haruka.

She then proceeded to Taihei Boulevard and turned right. She got close to the Millennium Tower, until she heard, "Hey, shithead! I know what you've been up to! And don't even pretend you forgot! Today's the day I pound your sorry ass into oblivion! Brace yourself for a beating of a lifetime!"

He grabbed her by the collar and attempted to punch… but Haruka pushed the fist away. She beat down the street hoodlum's cohort with a baseball bat. She then picked it up and bashed the leader and his other cohort with it.

The lead street hoodlum got up and said, "That was a beating of a lifetime, all right… Please – forgive me! I'll never pick a fight with you again!" Haruka was given ¥5,000 to add to her ¥5 million that she currently holds.

Then, she ran north on the Millennium Tower alleyway up to Shichifuku Street. Just then, she heard "Uh-oh! Hold on a second. You stepped on my foot."

Haruka shook her head. "You didn't, hm?" the street hoodlum who spoke to her said, "Well, since I've got you here, I might as well go ahead and beat the shit out of you!" He grabbed her back and attempted to punch… but Haruka dodged it. She defeated a street hoodlum by bashing a bike on his head! She defeated one with her jumping knee after three punches. She then sliced down two more street hoodlums with a knife.

"You're tough, girl." The first street hoodlum admitted, "I mean… what the fuck! No, please don't hit me! Here, you can have this." He gave Haruka a Toughness ZZ.

Haruka read the label, "This Toughness will give you a boost of energy when you are beat. Moreso than the Toughness Z." Then, she exclaimed, "Nice! I'll keep this, just in case!"

She ran east to the end of Shichifuku Street and north on the Park Boulevard alleyway. She noticed a homeless man and asked, "Excuse me, but do you know where Majima is residing?"

"Hmm…" the homeless man said, "I have lived in Kamurocho for over two or three decades. I can't say that I do. Toku might, though."

"Who's this Toku?" Haruka asked, "And where can I find him?"

"Well, little lady," the homeless man replied, "He's another homeless person like me. He's been here in Kamurocho for decades. Spends all his time down at the Underground Mall."

"Underground Mall?" Haruka asked,

"It's a bunch of stores they built under Showa Street." The homeless man said, "Built just a while back." The homeless man said, "People nowadays call it a mall. It's like a fancy shopping district, but underground."

"The Underground Mall, huh?" Haruka said, "I guess I can find this Toku gentleman, then."

"He should be." The homeless man said, "And I'm sure he'll be able to tell you what you want to know."

Haruka ran out of the alleyway and headed south on Senryo Avenue. She then went east on Taihei Boulevard, until… "Hey! Isn't that the Nogizaka bitch that survived the assault?"

"Oh no!" Haruka cried and looked behind her as she ran. It was a Ueno Seiwa Clan member going after her.

She ran and he was about to tackle her… only to miss. Haruka kept running all around the block. After a while, she said, "Phew… I got away."

Haruka kept running south on Pink Street, until she heard, "Hang on, miss. I haven't seen you around here much." The yakuza continued to speak, saying, "This place is getting dangerous. That's why we're asking all outsiders to get lost!" He grabbed her back and attempted to punch… but Haruka dodged it. She defeated a gangster with her three punch and jumping knee combo attack. She grabbed a sign and smashed it over two thugs, who were laid flat. Haruka grabbed the last thug, lifted him up and tossed him to the wall!

The yakuza said, "N-Not bad at all… So I lost. Well, shit happens. You're free to come and go as you please." To ensure that he saves face, he gave Haruka a Tauriner ++. She read the label, "It's supposed to give you an aura boost when tired. It's better than the regular Tauriner and the Tauriner +."

"I guess I can keep this." Haruka thought and proceeded to the Underground Mall on Showa Street.

She went downstairs to the Underground Mall and got to the middle of the mall until she saw a street hoodlum. He said, "What's wrong, girl? Why the long face? You should have some fun, change your mood. In fact, why not have a little fun with me?"

Haruka easily defeated his group of street hoodlums. The lead street hoodlum said, "Sorry I got carried away there. I just felt like stirring up some trouble, that's all. Oh, here. It's not much, but I want you to have it."

Haruka received a Staminan X. She then read the label, "It's supposed to give you a boost of health and energy when tired."

"I like this item. I'll keep it." Haruka thought as she searched for Toku. She found him and then asked, "Excuse me, sir. But are you Toku?"

The homeless man answered, "Hm? Yeah, that's me. Who are you?"

"My name is Haruka Nogizaka." She introduced herself and then she bowed. She then continued, "I'm looking for someone who knew about Kamurocho for years. Someone said you might. I heard that you lived in these parts for a long time."

"That's right." Toku said, "Over thirty years – Maybe more. Been so long I don't remember about the exact number."

"Really?" Haruka cried, "Well... what do you know about the Majima Family?"

"Hmm..." Toku said, "The name seems familiar... They were working on a building here a year ago, maybe two... That's right, it's starting to come back to me."

"Well, do you know anything about them?" Haruka asked,

"If I had some booze, it'd probably jog my memory." Toku replied, "I would go and buy some, but I don't have the money and I've been living off of that stuff."

"Huh?" Haruka thought, "I'm supposed to buy him a drink? Well… I don't have anything on me worth giving him, so I better get some beer somewhere. I think a convenience store sells them."

Haruka went back upstairs and went inside Poppo, which is a convenience store. She bought a bottle of sake and paid only ¥1,100. She ran back down after making the purchase and met Toku. She gave him the bottle of Sake, and then said, "Here's your drink. So… what do you know about the Majima Family?"

"Oh, thanks!" Toku cried, "Hold on a minute while I fuel up." He then drank his bottle.

Haruka smiled and then said, "I'm happy for you, sir. So… what do you know about the Majima Family?"

"Umm… I don't mean to break this to you, but the Majima Family are very discreet on their location." Toku reported, "Since they're one of the more elite families of the Tojo Clan, it's hard to locate their actual headquarters."

"Well… OK." Haruka said, "Thank you, sir."

"So much for that." Haruka thought, "I know! I can try the place where we all saw Kamurocho from a high place! That area in the Champion District… is it? I'll go take a look."

Haruka ran upstairs and north on Pink Street, turned right on Shichifuku Street and turned right on Senryo Avenue. Then, she entered the Champion District on the west side…

* * *

She went up the stairs and saw someone, so she hid behind a door. A girl with light purple hair in a pigtail and wore gothic-type clothing was standing tall over seven defeated yakuza gangsters. One cried, "H… How…?"

"Shit…" The girl said, "You people always get the wrong idea about me. So I dress like a street punk, I get it. That gets everyone thinking I'm just some kind of pussy. But come on… I'm Asahina's right-hand girl."

She then walked over. "You think a pussy could handle that?" She then crouched down. "Heh, you'd thought I'd be easy prey, didn't you?"

The fallen thug growled. "Fuckin' stupid." The girl retorted, "You and the whole goddamn Shibata Family. You know… You'll never catch Asahina if you keep this shit up." She got up and kicked the fallen thug.

"Hey, you!" Haruka cried. The girl turned her attention to her.

* * *

"Did you just say Shibata Family?" Haruka asked,

"And you are…?" The girl asked,

"I'm one of the survivors of the Nogizaka assault." Haruka said,

"Survivor?" The girl asked,

"These punks you knocked out – They're all Shibata's?" Haruka asked,

"Yeah, but what's it to you?" The girl asked, in a rude manner.

Haruka got upset and then angrily said, "Are you in the business?"

"The business?" The girl cried out, "Uh… yeah."

"What family?" Haruka asked angrily and got closer to the girl.

"Er…" The girl nervously answered, "I'm with the Tojo Clan. The, er… Shibata Family… actually."

"Then, why were you hitting your own men?" Haruka asked with anger,

"Er, um…" The girl nervously answered, "It's kind of complicated."

"They jumped you for dropping out?" Haruka asked,

"Er… No, not exactly." The girl answered,

"Well… you're obviously no friend of Shibata's." Haruka deduced, "Just the girl I need."

"Wha-?" The girl cried, "Need me? For what?"

"You're gonna help me find Majima." Haruka said,

There was silence for a few seconds. Just then, the girl gasped and pushed Haruka away. Haruka grunted slightly. The girl cried out, "Sorry, you! But I got my own shit to take care of!"

"Shit!" Haruka yelled,

Haruka chased down the girl all over the city. The girl managed to get far away at one point, but she was no match for Haruka's speed as she managed to catch her and bring her down.

* * *

The girl lied down on a bench in Park No. 3 and huffed. She cried, "Who ARE you?"

"I just want some information." Haruka said, "Come on, you. I need your help."

"Fine. Whatever." The girl said, "Just let me catch my breath."

The girl then told Haruka everything that happened over the last few days. "Wow…" Haruka said, "That is some heavy stuff."

"You're telling me." The girl said, "I mean, my own parent family's after me now."

"What about Asahina?" Haruka asked, "No sign of her yet?"

"No." The girl answered, "Hard to find her with those Shibata fuckers on my ass. And Amamiya can't help. It's a goddamn nightmare…"

"Ah… Shiina Amamiya, the piano, costume and Naginata spear loaner." Haruka said, knowing her old friend from the Hakujou Private Academy, "Is she OK?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine." The girl continued, "The cops have NPC under 24-hour watch. Shibata can't risk messing with her right now."

"The police?" Haruka said, "Oh no…"

"Are you OK?" The girl asked, "Your face just went all pale."

"I'm fine." Haruka answered, "Anyway, good thing the cops are protecting her."

"What are you so hung up about anyway?" The girl asked,

"Truth is… I already said I was a survivor of the Nogizaka assault." Haruka said, "I found that the Ueno Seiwa Clan orchestrated the assault on my mansion."

"Wait… the Ueno Seiwa Clan?" The girl cried, "Holy shit, you mean THAT incident?"

"You heard of it?" Haruka asked, "Yes. I'm the lonely survivor."

"H-Hold on just a second here." The girl said, "That's the one where the entire Nogizaka household was murdered, but one managed to survive, yeah? Wow… you're a lucky one!"

"For some reason..." Haruka said, sadly, "I don't feel so lucky. I could have died there, but... somehow I managed to survive. Now, I want to know the truth... I want to see it with my own eyes."

"What truth?" The girl asked,

"Whether I was really the lonely survivor of that raid." Haruka answered,

"Oh yeah?" The girl said,

"And whether Majima truly had his back turned on us... and me." Haruka said,

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The girl cried, "Hold the phone, girlfriend!"

"What?" Haruka cried,

"This is huge!" The girl cried out, "Waaaay out of my league! I mean... even if you are the legendary Nogizaka, whom I've heard about, there's nothing I can do here!"

"Why not?" Haruka asked,

"C'mon." The girl cried, "I'm a nobody – practically a street punk! Plus, I got the parent family on my ass! And you're asking ME to help YOU? That's crazy talk!"

"I'm not expecting much." Haruka said,

"What?" The girl cried,

"I just need you to introduce me to someone." Haruka said,

"To who?" The girl asked,

"To the same person who turned his back on us two years ago." Haruka answered, "Someone who knows the truth."

"The truth?" The girl asked,

"Yeah." Haruka said, "Know someone?"

"Ah!" The girl cried,

"What is it?" Haruka cried,

"There's a guy!" The girl cried, "There's totally a guy!"

"Who?" Haruka cried,

"He's this legendary info dealer." The girl said,

"Info dealer?" Haruka asked,

"Let's get out of here before the cops come by and start asking questions." The girl said, "And who knows when those Shibata fuckheads will show up again. Follow me. I've got a place I've been using as a hideout."

"A hideout?" Haruka asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." The girl said, "Come check it out."

* * *

The girl left Park No. 3 and ran towards Nakamichi Street. She then turned left and ran straight ahead. She then stopped for a bit for Haruka to catch up. She then said, "Almost there. It's just down this hall."

The girl proceeded inside the coin locker area, inside the hallway and near a set of escalators. She waited for Haruka and then told her, "It's just down by the escalator."

The two of them walked down and came across a big black door. The girl said, "This is it."

"Huh?" Haruka said,

"It's a long story," The girl said, "But let's say the tenants moved out in a hurry, so I've helped myself to the space."

"I'm guessing there were lots of homeless men, huh?" Haruka said,

"Yeah, this is kind of their spot." The girl replied,

* * *

They both entered and walked towards the desk with a simple, angular lamp. The girl turned to Haruka and said, "Oh, here. Let me tell you what I know about that information dealer."

"I'm listening." Haruka replied,

The girl began, "They say he keeps tabs on everything that goes on here in Kamurocho, past and present. I don't know who the guy is or how he knows what he knows, but word on the street is there's not much he doesn't."

"Huh." Haruka said, "I have to wonder how much of this is just a rumour…"

"I've told you what I know, anyway." The girl said, "Oh, and I hear he uses the homeless to gather this info. You might have the best of luck asking them about him. Oh, I almost forgot."

"Forgot what?" Haruka asked,

"The streets are, like… crawling with Ueno Seiwa Clan members today." The girl reported, "Better watch your pretty little ass out there."

"Thank you." Haruka said and ran out of the hideout.

* * *

She went upstairs and then right outside. She then took a short walk around the Millennium Tower and noticed a manhole open. "Why is this manhole open?" Haruka thought, "I better go down and see what's there…"

She walked down and noticed an area where there's a sewer line connected. Haruka couldn't take the smell. "I better find information on the info dealer and quick! I don't like the smell…" she thought urgently,

Haruka then ran towards the central sewer area and notice a group of homeless men. She then asked one, "Excuse me, but I need information on an information dealer."

The homeless named, surnamed Nakano, and replied, "You're looking for the big info dealer Kage the Florist, yeah?"

"If that's his name…" Haruka said,

"Yeah, they call him that because he sends flowers along with the info they buy off him." Nakano replied,

"So… how does he do it?" Haruka asked, "Where can I find him?"

"That's just it." Nakano replied, "No one really knows, what with the crazy stuff that's happened around here over the past few years. They say he moves his headquarters every time something big happens."

"OK…" Haruka said, "Where can I find him? Sorry, if I am asking that twice."

"Don't know for sure, but there's a rumour going around." Nakano answered,

"Oh yeah?" Haruka asked,

"Yeah." Nakano replied, "I heard you can get to his hideout through the back of the bathroom at West Park."

"West Park?" Haruka cried, "Oh! That park on the northeast part of town?"

"That's the one." Nakano said, "I'd start there if I were you."

"Thank you so much, sir!" Haruka replied and then she bowed. She quickly made off to the nearest manhole.

* * *

Haruka then ran north on the street beside the Millennium Tower. She turned right on Shichifuku Street and suddenly, a street gang member stopped her. He said, "You look like you're really enjoying yourself. Nothing like a good stiff drink, am I right? How about sharing some of the fun with us?"

Haruka shook her head. "Let me rephrase that." The street hoodlum said, "Now's when you give us all your money!"

Haruka easily defeated him and his group. The hoodlum cried, "Sorry for harshing your mellow like that. Here, this is for your drinking fund… On us." He then gave Haruka ¥3,000. She proceeded towards Park Boulevard, and she entered the bathroom in West Park. She went to the men's side and opened the door. She tried to open the other door, but… it was locked. Haruka scoffed at this and left.

"Well, so much for that." Haruka thought, "I need more information on this 'Kage the Florist'." She then ran west and heard a manhole rumour from a pair of construction workers.

"Sounds suspicious…" Haruka thought and noticed another construction worker.

"Kage the Florist…" he said

"Hey." Haruka said, "Did you just say 'Kage the Florist'?"

"Huh?" The worker cried, "Oh, no, I didn't say anything like that."

"Don't lie to me." Haruka cried, "I know what I heard!"

"Please, cut me some slack!" The worker cried, "A slip of the tongue could cost a guy his life around here."

"Yeah? How do you figure?" Haruka asked,

"Well, if I tell you something, you promise not to tell anyone else?" The worker asked,

Haruka gave it some thought, "Well… I've been keeping a secret myself for my whole life, so…"

"I promise." Haruka said, "I won't say a word."

"OK." The worker said, "I guess I trust you. Keeping it a secret is killing me, anyway. I'm on a city crew that was doing some work on the manhole over in the Children's Park. That's when I found it."

"Found what?" Haruka asked,

"An underground pleasure district." The worker replied, "They only let in super rich people, and even them they screen. I'd heard of it, but didn't think it was real."

"How'd you find it?" Haruka asked,

"Well, I was sneaking a nap down in the manhole when I heard someone come in." The worker said,

"Who?" Haruka asked,

"I bet it was the guy they call 'Kage the Florist'." The worker said, "He's one of the people running the underground complex. He's the famous info dealer. He was wearing some really different-looking clothes, just like the time I saw him in that weekly magazine I read."

"And…?" Haruka asked,

"He kept on going down the tunnel 'till he disappeared." The worker answered, "When I took a look later, I found a door at the end of the tunnel."

"Where does it go?" Haruka asked,

"I don't know." The worker replied, "I didn't open it."

"Why not?" Haruka cried,

"It's a really heavy door." The worker said, "Way too heavy for a guy like me. There's got to be some trick to opening it. I bet only the Florist knows how. There are other crazy rumours about the Florist, but I'd rather stay alive than start poking my nose where it doesn't belong. Then again, it's all heresay and info from the tabloids, so who knows if it's true. Still, remember that you promised not to tell anyone what I said."

"I understand, sir." Haruka said, "Thank you!" She bowed to him.

She then ran west to the Children's Park. Then, she noticed a group of street hoodlums. "Hey!" Haruka cried, "You're in my way. I need to go down that manhole there."

A hoodlum named Tatekawa cried, "This is our turf, girl. You get out of our way."

Another hoodlum named Yoshioka laughed and cried, "I get it! I bet this bitch lives down there."

Another hoodlum named Kusuno cried, "Serious? That's fuckin' hilarious!"

Haruka said nothing. Tatekawa then said, "We'll let you past, but you're gonna pay the toll for crossing through our patch."

"And if I don't?" Haruka asked,

Kusuno giggled and said, "We'll have to beat you to a bloody pulp!"

Yoshioka replied, "That's right. So I suggest you pay up, pal."

"What a joke." Haruka said,

"What'd you just say?" Tatekawa threatened, "Think you can fuck with us, bitch?"

"Shut your mouth and let's go." Haruka said angrily, "I want to see you beat me into a bloody pulp."

Kusuno yelled, "You asked for it!"

Haruka smashed Kusuno with a single punch and her charged overhead. Haruka kept punching a gang member with a baseball bat. He was taken out. Haruka picked up the baseball bat and smashed a few heads. She saw Yoshioka and smashed his kneecaps with the baseball bat. She winded up and… POW! A big swing to the head of Yoshioka took him out!

Haruka giggled, "I'm having too much fun!" She then smashed the baseball bat on Tatekawa and his cohort. She then kept punching Kusuno. She grabbed him, lifted him up and tossed him down. Haruka picked up a standing ashtray and smashed it over Kusuno's head, taking him out. She took out another gang member with a single punch.

Tatekawa fell back, growing scared of Haruka. "Wh—What?" he cried,

Haruka took a beer bottle and smashed it over his head! Haruka propped him up and grabbed him by the collar. She tossed him on a tree, with his back making full contact!

* * *

Tatekawa cried, "S-Sorry… No more, please…"

"Y-Yeah." Kusuno agreed, "We don't want any more trouble."

"Just shut up and get out of my way!" Haruka cried, "And I don't want to see you in Kamurocho ever again!"

"Yes, sir!" Tatekawa cried, "We're outta here!" He and all his gang friends left her be. She then opened the manhole and went down into the underground.

* * *

She then followed a path that led her to a ladder that read "To Purgatory Pleasure District". She thought, "What kind of name is 'Purgatory'?" She climbed up the ladder.

She looked around. There were makeshift pagodas and several kabuki-style umbrellas lying around the pathway. "Wow…" Haruka said, amazed at the sight, "What is this place?"

* * *

She noticed the big mansion and walked towards it. She went inside the big doors and then heard, "Ah, there you are."

"What's going on?" Haruka cried out loud,

"I've been waiting for you, Haruka Nogizaka." A large, burly man in a blue Hawaiian shirt replied. He was sitting on a desk near a very large aquarium. "While you've been looking for ME, I've been watching YOU. So, is there something you wanted to ask me?"

"He must be Kage the Florist." Haruka thought, "I have to find out what he does…"

"Yes." Haruka replied and then asked, "What is this place? Why is it called 'Purgatory'?"

"You know that entertainment area you saw as you came in?" Kage replied,

"Yes?" Haruka said,

"Well, I built it myself years ago." Kage replied, "This place is my creation. The rich and famous from all quarters come here for a taste of the pleasures they can't get in Kamurocho – at least not above ground. We cater to every taste, no matter how decadent. Gambling, sex, things of that nature. Potential customers are normally screened before I let them in, but in your case, I'll make an exception. But these pleasures don't come free. Just be careful the place doesn't suck you in. Don't forget, you're a woman on a mission."

"Now, people say that you're the legendary info dealer." Haruka said,

"That they do." Kage replied, "I'm a dealer and my product of choice is information. Information on everything that goes on in Kamurocho eventually reaches my ears. I have access to a network of informants and surveillance cameras mounted all over the city. My reach extends into every nook and cranny."

Kage continued, "Your presence here can only mean that you want some sort of information from me."

"Yes." Haruka replied, "Majima, current patriarch of the Tojo's Majima Family. Do you know where he may be?"

"I do." Kage said, "But my information doesn't come cheap."

"How much?" Haruka asked,

"Let's say ¥20 million." Kage answered,

"Is this a joke?" Haruka asked, "I don't have that much money! And even then, it was all lost in the raid two years ago! But… even a guy like you knows that, right?"

"Of course." Kage answered, "I wouldn't be much of an info dealer if I didn't. But you do have an option. There's something you can do for me instead."

"And what's that?" Haruka asked, "Let's hear it."

Kage chuckled and then said, "Follow me."

* * *

Haruka was led to a lobby with a medieval-like atmosphere. There were chairs on one side and a desk in another. There was also a set of doors, leading somewhere… "What is this place?" Haruka asked,

"The Underground Coliseum." Kage answered, "Only special members are allowed to view the fights here."

"I'm guessing you're not inviting me to watch, right?" Haruka asked,

"Exactly." Kage replied, "I want you to enter the exhibition deathmatch I'm holding."

"Deathmatch?" Haruka asked,

Kage chuckled, "That's right, a real deathmatch. Not that fake crap they show on TV. It's a fight to the death. Only you or your opponent will leave the ring alive."

Haruka said nothing. "I'm not going to force you against your will." Kage warned, "But if you can't pay, this is your only option to obtain that info on Majima."

Haruka finally gave in and said, "Fine. I'm in."

"It's settled, then." Kage replied,

* * *

The coliseum is just like a real fighting arena. There were seats all around and a cage hanging above the ring. The crowd was talking for a while, until… the lights on the ring came on. "Welcome to the 3,633rd Kamurocho Underground Coliseum Tournament!" An announcer on the P.A. cried, "Today's event: an exhibition deathmatch featuring the tournament champion!"

The crowd began to cheer. Kage took his place in a special seat, watching over the ring. The announcer continued, "In the blue corner is our challenger, Haruka Nogizaka! She survived the assault from an enemy yakuza clan that left her household dead! She Is the only survivor of the raid! That's right! It's the legendary survivor and female warrior seeking vengeance! Haruka Nogizaka!"

She walked over to the ring with her top off, showing a phoenix tattoo on her back. "In the red corner," The announcer continued, "Our tournament champion! Six months since his debut, he's gone one hundred fights undefeated! The infamous, immortal warrior… Let's give it up for the Underground Coliseum Champion, Ivan Ibrahimovic!"

A man in a pair of black and yellow shorts entered the ring, and flexed his muscles. The cage then lowered down. Fireworks popped out. The crowd continued to cheer.

The announcer continued, "Today's fight will be to the death. No draws whatsoever. It's a deathmatch between a woman seeking vengeance for destruction of her home and our reigning champion!"

Haruka looked at Kage, who then smiled at her. Both fighters got into their stances. "And here's the gong!" The announcer cried, and then the gong rang out to signal the start of the fight.

* * *

Haruka started with three quick punches, but Ibrahimovic blocked them all. He then did his combo attack of his own. While Haruka blocked his three punches and a kick, she was tripped by a spinning kick. She got hit with a low kick while she was down. Haruka got up and took down Ibrahimovic with her three punches and a jumping knee attack.

Haruka leaned back and did a spinning punch dropping Ibrahimovic. She did this a few more times. Ibrahimovic tried a spinning high kick, but Haruka evaded it. She then evaded his patented jumping kick.

She continued to lay down Ibrahimovic with her spinning punch. Ibrahimovic grew tired and tried a jumping kick… only for Haruka to grab him and spin him down to the floor.

* * *

It was clear that Ibrahimovic couldn't get up anymore. The cage rose up. Haruka looked around, angrily. People began yelling, "Finish him off already! I said finish him off! Yeah, hurry up and kill him! Yeah, this is supposed to be a deathmatch! Quit stalling and finish him!"

Then, they began chanting, "Kill him!"

"You already laid out a few!" one crowd member shouted, "What's one more gonna do?" Haruka felt that she would not kill someone when they're down.

A sword was tossed into the ring. Haruka looked at Kage. He was staring, sternly at her, since she's making the crowd restless.

She picked up the sword and unsheathed it. "Finally! Do it!" a crowd member cried out,

She approached Ibrahimovic, slowly. She raised the sword up. Ibrahimovic knew what was coming to him, until… Haruka tossed the sword away!

"SHUT UP!" Haruka screamed, silencing the crowd

"Which one of you just said, 'What's one more?', huh?" Haruka continued to yell, and faced a crowd member who was constantly yelling at her. "Was it you?" He stammered, not knowing what to say.

"You?" Haruka yelled at another crowd member. He stammered as well.

"You all sit there, crying out, 'Kill! Kill! Kill!'. But how many of you actually witnessed death at your own hands?" Haruka asked, "Huh?"

"Let me say my own words here." Haruka continued, "Killing someone… and watching someone die… It's like…" And then, tears were flowing into her eyes, "It's truly horrible!"

"I still have nightmares of that day." Haruka confessed, "Every single night, I still see my family and maids… Their blood dripping on me… Sounds of gunshots… Screams… The fear on their dead faces… It's like it happened yesterday. I feel so awful… not to mention angered by this horrible loss. But, that… the remorse is nothing compared to the real horror! Because once you killed someone or see someone dying… you can never escape the horror of what you done! I relived this horrible memory every day! Does any of you have any idea what that's like?"

She then said, "This tournament is unfair. I'm going."

Haruka then angrily left the ring. Kage was watching intently… something must be on his mind…


	9. E2C4: A Sibling's Oath

(A/N: This chapter will be followed by a short epilogue for this part of the story.)

Chapter 4: A Sibling's Oath

(四章: 兄弟の誓い)

Haruka walked out of the Underground Coliseum angrily until she heard, "Hold up."

She turned to face Kage. "I had a feeling you weren't just another psychopath." He said to her.

"What do you mean?" Haruka said, angrily

"If you had tried to kill Ivan, I would have denied your request." Kage replied,

"What?" Haruka cried

"People come here to see blood, but I'm not in the business of promoting murder." Kage admitted, "I'm relieved to see that there's humanity left in you.

"What are you…" Haruka began,

"I'll tell you what you want to know. Where Majima is." Kage said,

Haruka and Kage were back in the mansion. "That fight back at the Underground Coliseum? I was testing you." He said,

"What's that supposed to mean?" Haruka cried,

"I wanted to see what you'd do under those circumstances." Kage replied, "I hope you don't hold it against me, but I needed to know."

Haruka sighed. "Relax." Kage replied, "Ivan will survive. Hell, he'll be back in the ring in a week. For the moment, he's in the hospital. That was quite the beating you gave him."

"I'm glad he's feeling OK." Haruka said, slowly warming up

"So… about Majima." Kage began, "Word is that he's holed up in the Millennium Tower. He now has an office there."

"Oh…" Haruka said, "OK, so… I guess I can go see him."

"Be careful, Nogizaka." Kage said, "There are Ueno men hot on your trail. Somehow they found out that you were the only survivor of the massacre of the mansion, so… lay low until it all cools down. You can use the underground areas to get around."

"Thank you, Florist." Haruka said and bowed.

* * *

Haruka left Purgatory and went back to the underground that led to the Children's Park. She then noticed Ueno men patrolling the streets. She then carefully went south on Theatre Avenue and into Theatre Square. She then took a stairwell to the rooftops. She traversed the rooftops until she took the stairs to the ground floor. Haruka then went to the central parking lot and exited at Exit E. She traversed through the Pink alleyway and entered a stairwell to the eastern rooftops of Kamurocho. She traversed them until she came into a stairwell that led to an alleyway next to a ramen food place called "Kyushu No. 1 Star". She then went down the stairs and ran towards Senryo Avenue. Haruka then moved to the parking lot on Shichifuku Street and went down a manhole. She was in the Millennium Tower underground area. She took the elevator to the back door of the Millennium Tower. Haruka ran west on Shichifuku Street and took a stairwell into the Kamuro Theatre.

She then went down the escalators and back to her hideout. She walked in and noticed a tattooed man with lots of piercings, red track pants and a near Mohawk. Haruka looked at him and asked, "Who are you?"

"Minami." He answered, "I roll with the Majima Family. You Nogizaka, then?"

"Majima Family?" Haruka asked, "Why did you come here for?"

"Whoa… down, girl." Minami said, "Didn't come here lookin' for a fight. It's just when I came in to see ya, I had no idea where you at, so I… ya know…"

"What do you want?" Haruka asked,

"The boss is askin' for ya." Minami answered, "Word is you two were sibs two years ago."

"Majima wants to meet with me?" Haruka asked,

"Says to stop by the office tomorrow night." Minami reported,

"All right, then." Haruka said,

"Knowin' the boss," Minami warned, "He'll have some fucked up shit waitin' for ya. I'd come prepared if I was you." He then walked away.

"Hold on, Minami-san." Haruka said,

"What?" Minami cried,

"Give a message to Majima." Haruka said, "I hope he's got answers waiting for me. If not, then I'm going to come for him."

"Heh. Think you can go all medieval on the boss, eh?" Minami taunted, "No dig, but he'll kill ya. Bye then." He then left.

"OK… Time for me to go to sleep." Haruka thought, "At least I'll be good to go against Majima tomorrow…"

* * *

The next day, Haruka got up after a lot of contemplation. She waited for a few hours and used the time to read her "Innocent Smile" magazine. The girl was with her when Haruka was preparing herself. She warned, "Nogizaka, Kamurocho's still crawling with Ueno men. You can't risk moving aboveground. You're meeting Minami at the Millennium Tower tonight, right? Why not rest here a little more till then? In the meantime, I'll go check out the best route to get you there."

"OK, thanks." Haruka replied,

* * *

After a few hours of resting, the girl spoke to Haruka, "You really gonna go, Nogizaka?"

"Yes." Haruka said, "It's time I settled the score for what happened two years ago."

"That is a long time." The girl admitted,

"You're telling me." Haruka said,

"Only one problem." The girl reported, "Ueno men are still waltzing around on these streets. No way you'll make it from here to the Millennium Tower above ground."

"OK, then how do I get there?" Haruka asked,

"Take the northside exit to the street." The girl directed Haruka, "Then, go underground from the back of the Millennium Tower and exit at the Shichifuku Parking Lot. Next, go the rooftop from Pink Alley and go a little south before returning to ground level there. Then head south from the ramen shop through the underground parking lot and hit the Central Sewer. Pass through that and you'll come out a manhole in front of the Millennium Tower."

"Sounds complicated." Haruka admitted, "But I think I got it."

"You'll be fine as long you avoid those Ueno pricks." The girl said, "Sorry, but I wish I could do more to help."

"It's OK." Haruka said, "You did more than enough. Thanks for everything, Tennoji-san."

"Nogizaka…" Touka Tennoji said and bowed to her,

* * *

Haruka went for the door, but heard "Nogizaka!"

Haruka then faced Touka. "Tell me one thing before you leave." Touka asked, "Do you ever regret what happened that day? Two years ago, yes? I know it was hard, but for all that time alone had to make you think… You sure you don't have any regrets?"

"What do you want to know that for?" Haruka asked,

"It's just…" Touka began, "I really want to know."

"Oh yeah?" Haruka said and then asked, "Are you planning something big? And now you're getting cold feet, right? Regrets? I can't say I have any."

She then looked at herself. "I regret seeing people with blood on my hands. Eats away at my kind soul each and every day. But, I never regret going into hiding and coming out to see what happened."

"How do you do it?" Touka asked, "How can you be that strong?"

"It's not strength." Haruka said, "Majima chose this life and never looked back. If were to do the same, I would never look back. I learned that's how a true yakuza lives. People look down on them as criminals, but I'm proud for what Majima and Ayase have accomplished with the lives they chose. Honour and duty. That's what I feel is being a yakuza to someone like me."

"Nogizaka…" Touka said,

Haruka walked over to Touka and patted her on the shoulder. "Tennoji-san." Haruka began, "You have to go balls out. In this business, you only get one shot at the big time. And when the moment comes to put your life on the line, let yourself loose. No looking back and no regrets."

"Yes." Touka agreed,

"Give it your all." Haruka advised, "I'll see you soon." She then left. Touka bowed.

* * *

An hour later, after Haruka followed Touka's directions on how to get to the Millennium Tower safely, she went downstairs to meet with Minami, but… she found that he has many men in the back. "Shit…" Minami retorted, "Ya actually done come, Nogizaka!"

"No kidding." Haruka retorted,

"Word from the boss," Minami began, "If you're who ya say y'are, we're all gettin' our asses handed to us."

"Hmph." Haruka said, "Is this a test, then?"

"Gotta say I'm curious what all ya got." Minami cried back, "Hope ya don't mind if I go a little nuts!"

"Well, it gives me a chance to see what kind of family Majima put together." Haruka said, "Come at me, then!"

"Ladies!" Minami announced, "This woman's sibilings with our boss, but that don't mean she gotta win! Shoot to kill! It's ON!"

* * *

Haruka rushed at five men she saw coming at her and tackled three of them down! She then did her jumping knee after her three punches at two men. Two men came after Haruka. She then did her quick kick after her charged punch on someone, defeating him. She kept repeating this, taking down as much as nine men. At one point, Haruka smashed a guy's face when he was down with her fist!

She continued her attacks, even adding in her spinning punch to her attack routine. At one point, she bashed one to the wall. She lifted up the bounced thug, and… POW! Haruka rammed him, headfirst to the wall! She let him go. She would go on and defeat the group of men.

Another group of men approached Haruka yelling out, "You're gonna fucking die, bitch!"

Haruka yelled, "Not if I kill you all first!" She did the same attack routine as she did with the first group that tried to gang up on her. At one point, she grabbed a man by the collar after taking down another. She lifted him up, and spun him down. The man landed on his cohort with full force! She even took the liberty to grab thugs and toss them to the wall. At one point, she grabbed a thug, lifted him up and tossed him to the wall, but then she cried, "I got it!"

And… POW! She then planted her boot to the thug's back, snapping it in two!

Three strong men cried out, "Bring it! You think you can fuckin' win? Come at us!"

Haruka continued her attacks on the three men. She tried lifting a large sumo man… "Geez!" Haruka thought to herself as she is struggling, "He's heavy!"

She eventually lifted him up and tossed him down. She continued her attacks on the other two men. Haruka even bounced one up, grabbed his foot and… BAM! Haruka bashed the thug's back with the force of a meteor! The thug flew down to the floor. Eventually, all three men were taken out.

Minami approached Haruka, saying, "Well, then, I'm yo' last man standin'. Show me what'cha got!"

Minami smacked Haruka with two punches and a variation of an axe kick, bringing her down. He then stomped on her back. Haruka got up and did a spinning punch on Minami bringing him down, and then… POW! She smashed his face with her fist! She tried again, only this time… Minami rolled himself up and smashed Haruka in the gut! He then did a frontflip, bringing down Haruka.

She got up as Minami took a drink from his bottle. She attacked Minami, but… she got dizzy from a big hit from Minami. She was then taken down by a frontflip from Minami. Minami stood up on one leg and taunted, "You think ya all that, huh?"

Haruka cried out as she got up, "I am!" Haruka attacked Minami with her three punches, her jumping knee, and her two strong punches. Minami was dropped by the attack. He flipped up, took another drink from his bottle and began to zip near Haruka. Unfortunately, he was dropped by the same attack Haruka did a few seconds ago. And to add injury to insult, she smashed his face with her fist!

He got up. He then drank yet another bottle, but spat out the contents at Haruka! Haruka ducked and blocked Minami's series of punches. Minami tried to do a spinning body slam, but Haruka grabbed Minami's head and… BAM! She threw Minami down and finished the counterattack with a right knee to the head!

"Dammit!" Minami yelled, "I got countered by a pair of actual bitches!"

Haruka giggled and said, "I'm sorry, Minami-san… But you got what you deserved!"

Minami growled and zoomed around Haruka. He tried a chop, but her jumping knee countered his attack after her three punches. Minami did four chops and a kick on Haruka, which dropped her.

Minami then laughed, while he held a bottle and a lighter in his hands. He then chugged the bottle down, and then… He opened the lighter and spit out the alcohol slowly… to make flames burn from his mouth! When the fire disappeared, he yelled, "Are ya going to come at me then?"

Haruka ran away when Minami threw flames at her. Haruka tried to attack, but she missed. Minami did his four chops and a kick on Haruka, but the attack did not drop her. She then did her three punches and a jumping knee. Minami hit the wall and before he could slump down, Haruka lifted him up and… POW! She rammed him, headfirst to the wall! Just then, Haruka cried, "I got it!" She then carried Minami for a while and then… she tossed him down to the floor!

Minami got up, slowly. Haruka then rushed at Minami, tackled him and threw him down hard! Haruka quickly drank a Staminan X she got from a fight and… waited for Minami to get up. She then did a quick punch and a charged overhead shot on Minami. Then, she grabbed his foot and… BAM! Haruka bashed Minami's back with the force of a meteor! Just then, Haruka cried, "I got it!"

She then jumped up and… POW! She did a body slam on Minami! He could not get up anymore.

* * *

"Not bad, Majima-san…" Haruka said, "You taught your men right."

Minami got angry and said, "I ain't done yet… Not by a fuckin'…"

Then, there was beep. Haruka looked at the elevators. Out of an elevator door came a man with spiked shoes, a yellow shirt, black gloves and an eye patch on his left eye. Haruka knew who he was. Minami cried, "B-Boss!"

Majima approached Haruka and said, "Sorry I kept ya, sister."

"Majima-san…" Haruka said,

"I know I got some explanin' to do. But not here." Majima said, "Come with me." He then walked ahead. Haruka followed him.

* * *

Both of them left the Millennium Tower, but Haruka saw extreme shock when a whole lot of men surrounded the both of them. They all said, "Evening, sir!"

"The Ueno men can't touch us now." Majima said, "Let's roll."

Majima then walked on a path that his men laid out for him. Haruka followed him north to Shichifuku Street and then west. She asked, "Where are we going?"

"Our old playground." Majima said,

Haruka looked on and said, "Ah… that place." They looked at a building with neon katakana and a baseball with kanji. It read "Yoshida Batting Centre". "C'mon." Majima said, "Let's go take a few swings."

Majima walked ahead, while Haruka followed him.

* * *

Majima went inside the cages and said, "Hit a few for old time's sake?" Haruka said nothing while Majima grabbed a baseball bat. Haruka then went inside. Majima waited for the ball to come at him and he swung it perfectly to hit a home run. "Majima-san." Haruka said,

After a successful swing, Majima said, "Huh?"

"You know why I came here, don't ya?" Haruka asked,

After another successful swing, Majima said, "To get revenge on the Ueno and settle the score with me, yeah?"

"Well, then, why are you messing around?" Haruka cried as Majima got another hit in, "I need to know what really happened two years ago! How come you never showed up?"

Majima did not listen. As the ball came to him, he tried to swing. He got angry because… he missed. Haruka caught the ball, and she gritted her teeth in pain but at the same time, she was not letting down her guard. "I need to know, brother." She cried,

Majima dropped the bat and walked further. He then said, "What's the hold up? Get over here already. You forget what we swore? Soon as we stepped into this world, that was it. Duty bound. Never squeal. And the price for betrayal's death, even if it's for your own family… The oath we took, the day we became siblings."

"I remember…" Haruka said, "Every word since you were there with my father after Yuuto-san saved me."

"Well, whatever the reason, I betrayed ya." Majima said, "Couldn't help Nogizaka, either." Majima then ripped off his shirt to reveal his skin… On his skin was a tattoo that extended to the back. On the back was a tattoo of a fierce dog with horns.

"Majima-san…" Haruka said,

"Just strip." Majima said, "Let's settle it like we used to. You beat me, I'll talk." Then, he said with sneering glee, "…Good luck with that."

"You think I've gone soft?" Haruka asked, and she stripped off her top of the old Hakujou Private Academy uniform to reveal her skin.

* * *

On her back was the phoenix tattoo that Reiji Kido saw earlier. It was a phoenix flying upwards with multiple tails and multi-coloured stars left behind at the flap of the wing. A cross was carried by the phoenix from the talons.

Haruka then walked towards Majima. He said, "Heh, that's a relief. I was half expectin' nothing, little lady."

"I haven't seen much in the last two years, Majima-san." Haruka said, "You're the one living the easy life."

"Then there ain't no need to pull punches." Majima said as he took his signature knife from his back, which was short.

"Least we agree on something." Haruka said as she got into her stance.

"It's on, sister!" Majima yelled and he got into his stance

Haruka ran around for a bit. Majima stabbed her in the gut. Majima tried two attacks, only to find that they both missed. Haruka took advantage by smashing Majima with her three punches, a jumping knee, and two smashing punches. Majima flopped down and got up quickly saying, "You bastard…"

He then tried a stab from above, a stab in the torso level, a low kick, a stab from above, a high kick, a spinning slice and a punching stab. Haruka easily and cleanly evaded all the attacks.

Majima tried a jumping stab, only to miss. Haruka attempted to attack him, but her attacks missed. Majima struck Haruka with three successful stabs. Majima then did a capoeira spin kick, then he followed it up with two slashes, a high kick and a downward slash which brough Haruka down and bleeding. Majima laughed, in an insane fashion.

Haruka got up and grabbed a baseball bat. Right as Majima landed on the jumping stab, Haruka smacked him with the bat. Majima attacked with a jump stab, a quick stab, two quick kicks and a gut stab. Haruka blocked all but the stabs. Then, Majima stood on one foot and spun around!

"Not good!" Haruka thought and ran laps to avoid Majima's attack. He stopped and that was when Haruka smashed the bat on Majima's head.

Haruka attempted her three punches and a jumping knee, but she missed on the knee. She dropped Majima with three quick punches of her own. And then… BAM! She smashed her fist on his face.

"You bastard child…" Majima cried as he got up,

Haruka went after Majima again and was tripped by his sweep kick. He laughed maniacally. "Ow, ow, ow, ow…" Haruka cried as she got up.

Haruka thought, "What can I do to bring Majima-san down?" She tried tackling Majima, which she did, but she did not consider Majima doing his rising break-dance-type kick. She tripped on that as well.

"Not good…" Haruka cried as she got up, feeling the blood on her own torso. Haruka tried her three punch combo, but Majima kicked her down hard. He continued to laugh maniacally. She then saw the wall near the ball machines and ran towards it.

Majima dashed towards her. She did her three punches, a jumping knee, and two smashing punches on Majima. He bounced off the wall, and she took advantage by lifting him up and… BAM! She rammed him headfirst to the wall! She carried Majima for a little while, and then… she threw him down hard!

Majima got up slowly, crying "That… hurt!" He then did two spinning slices, and a jab. Haruka dodged the slices and the jab. Majima tried a 360-degree slash on Haruka's face, only to miss. Majima tried a backflip, only for Haruka to step back. Haruka dodged yet another spin slice and Majima tried jumping from a wall and spinning his body around. But… Haruka caught his body and… POW! She slammed him to the wall!

* * *

Majima kneeled down and grunted in a whole lot of pain. "What's wrong, brother?" Haruka cried, "Is that all you got? You're not done yet, are ya?"

Haruka screamed and rushed to punch Majima's face… only to stop. She began to weep and drop face-up on the floor. Majima looked at Haruka and he dropped down to the floor, face-up as well. They both panted, as they are very tired. "You know, brother…" Haruka said,

"What?" Majima asked,

"We've both changed… you and I." Haruka admitted,

Majima panted and then said, "Yeah?"

"Correct." Haruka said as she got her head up. "We were so friendly together. But now… Somewhere along the line… We turned into harsh people."

Majima panted, but Haruka continued, saying, "I heard your Kansai accent was horrible when you met with my father. But, I'm glad it's improving."

"Huh?" Majima asked, and then he got up and asked, excitedly "What, you want to go another round?"

"Heh. Calm down." Haruka replied, "It's just… I remember you being way stronger than this."

"I never really asked, because I know you too well…" Haruka said, "But how did you get the eye patch? Is this why you fight like a—"

"Ain't got nothin' to do with nothin'." Majima interrupted, "Been like this for 25 years."

"25 years ago?" Haruka asked,

"That's right." Majima replied, "The day me an' everyone else were afraid to fight… That's the day I lost this eye."

"You what?" Haruka asked,

Majima then took off his eye patch to show the missing eye. Haruka was silently disgusted by the sight of Majima's missing eye. "So yeah, there it is." Majima then said as he put back on his eye patch. "Could be I'm not quite as tough as I was with two good eyes. Just as well, though. I was too fuckin' strong to start with."

"Brother…" Haruka began,

"Yeah?" Majima replied,

"That eye…" Haruka said, growing very concerned over her old friend, "Did that had something to do with, you know… Is that why you didn't come that day? You have to tell me, brother. What kept you from coming?"

Majima got up, walked forward and said, "That whole Ueno Seiwa assault… Far as I can tell, it was a set up from the start."

"You're sure?" Haruka asked,

"I feel sure." Majima replied, "It's just there's no way left to know, now."

"How come?" Haruka asked,

"The guy I think set us up just got whacked." Majima replied,

"What? Who?" Haruka cried,

Majima then replied, "Shibata… Kazuo Shibata. If I'm right, he's the one who left you, me and the entire Nogizaka household to hang."

[End of Part 2]

第二部: 完


	10. Episode 2 Epilogue

Epilogue

In a warehouse at an unknown location on April 21st, 1985, both men were walking in. One began saying, "Mind tellin' me why ya dragged me all the way out here?"

"Heh, your Kansai accent's gotten better since I last saw you." The man in the dark blue suit replied, "I hear you've been hard at work. Now I see why Shimano's taken an interest in you."

"So ya gonna tell me what this is about or not, Shibata?" The other man asked,

Shibata turned towards the black suit man and answered, "You're all dressed up today. Going to a funeral?"

"Nah… Nothin' like that." The man replied,

"Come to think of it, Sasai's boy Saejima was in his finest this morning, too." Shibata commented, "As is Nogizaka."

"Wh-What if he was?" the other man asked,

Shibata then walked closer to the man and said, "I'll skip right to the point. The Yoshiharu Ueno hit today… Don't carry it out, Majima. Likewise, don't help Nogizaka at all."

"Huh?" Majima gasped, "How did ya…"

Shibata walked further and then said, "You, Nogizaka and Saejima plan to catch Ueno at a ramen shop today en route home from prison. Correct?"

Majima said nothing. "Listen, there's been a slight change of plans. You know how it is." Shibata said,

"The hell are you talking about?" Majima cried,

Majima walked closer to Shibata. Shibata then answered, "Boss Dojima doesn't think it's in our best interest to stamp out the Ueno Seiwa Clan right now."

"What? Why?" Majima cried,

"No need to get excited." Shibata replied, "The Dojima Family is simply asking you to follow orders."

"C'mon, Shibata, gimme a reason here." Majima cried,

"The hit on Yoshiharu Ueno was a Dojima Family idea, originally." Shibata said, "It began as a bid to expand their turf here in the city. They left its execution to the Sasai Family. This much you already know, yes?"

"Yeah." Majima replied, "That's why it's me from the Dojima Family and Saejima from Sasai's place. If Nogizaka has to join us, he will."

"That's right." Shibata replied, "But doesn't this whole scenario seem strange to you?"

"Strange how?" Majima asked,

"How did the Tojo come to know that Ueno would be heading to a ramen shop immediately after his release?" Shibata asked, "And let me ask you this. Who stops for ramen on his way home from serving two years in prison? As Chairman of the Ueno Seiwa Clan, he ought to be going to a lavish clan celebration of his release."

"Y-Yeah, but…" Majima cried,

"The whole thing stinks." Shibata said, "It's likely the entire thing was planned by a traitor in Ueno's ranks. Likewise, he might even plan an assault on Nogizaka."

"A traitor?" Majima cried,

"It's a tiny, cramped noodle shop at the edge of town." Shibata said, "Would a top yakuza head straight from prison to a spot that practically begs for an ambush?"

"So, why is he then?" Majima asked,

"I suspect this scenario was authored by two traitors." Shibata replied, "One from the Ueno Seiwa Clan and the other from the Tojo Clan."

"Two of them?" Majima asked,

"Yes. One on the inside to reveal Ueno's plans," Shibata said, "And another one to pass that news along. In other words, one from the Ueno Seiwa Clan and the other from the Tojo Clan."

"We know who they are?" Majima asked,

"The Tojo Clan traitor, yes…" Shibata answered, "Hideki Sasai. He's the one who procured the tip, and his man Taiga Saejima is on his way to perform the hit. The Sasai Family's boss received the info."

"Saejima's boss? Sasai?" Majima cried,

"Sasai has tied to the Ueno Seiwa Clan." Shibata warned, "He told the Tojo Clan where Ueno would be and urged us to authorize the hit."

"B-But why?" Majima asked,

"To start a war." Shibata said,

"Why?" Majima asked,

"Sasai's creating a reason for the Tojo Clan to strike the Ueno Seiwa Clan." Shibata replied, "And what better way to anger the Ueno Seiwa Clan enough to declare war? And get Nogizaka involved?"

"What's he got to gain outta all this?" Majima asked,

"Good question." Shibata replied, "All I know is Ueno's death will give his clan ample reason to declare war. After all, it will have been the Tojo Clan that struck first. No doubt Sasai will work with the Ueno Seiwa Clan traitor to contain the situation. By playing peacemaker, he'll be on his way to becoming a top figure in the Tojo Clan."

Majima said nothing. "So you see, Majima," Shibata said, "We can't have the Dojima Family member like you getting mixed up in this. Join in on this hit or help Nogizaka and you'll cause problems for Dojima and for Shimano."

Majima said nothing, still retaining his anger.

* * *

Shibata walked towards Majima. "Majima," Shibata said, "Are you listening?"

Majima shook his head… and rammed Shibata to a wall! "My bro's already on his way!" Majima yelled, "The fuck ya expect me to do?"

"Majima!" Shibata cried,

"You tellin' me to knife my boy in the back?" Majima yelled, "Just sit by an' watch him die?"

"Please, try to calm down!" Shibata cried,

"I'm goin'." Majima cried, falling back, "Fuck your plan. Saejima and Nogizaka are my only brothers." He then turned to leave.

"Majima!" Shibata cried, "You won't get out of this—"

"The fuck I care about that!" Majima yelled, turning back, "I was ready to die the moment I became a yakuza!"

Shibata smiled grimly and then said, "Were you, now? Then I suppose you leave me no choice. Men!"

A large group of men surrounded both Majima and Shibata. Shibata then said, "I hoped we could avoid violence… Shame." He then walked away.

"Shibata…" Majima grumbled, in a fitting rage

Shibata turned back and said, "This will be your new home for a while." He then walked away.

Majima then yelled, "SHIBATAAAAAA!"

* * *

A few hours and lots of dead bodies later, Majima was eventually chained to a pole. A man stood over with a large pipe. Majima was panting. "Shit… what a beast." The man said, "This many guys and you still had to play hero?"

He then poked Majima in the chest with the large pipe. He then used the pipe to lift Majima's head. Majima then spat on the man. The man retaliated with a slap to the face. He dropped the large pipe.

"Heh. You've got balls, I'll give you that." The man said, after swiping away Majima's spit.

He lifted Majima's head for a bit. "I can see why they'd pick you for a hit." The man continued, and he walked over to pick up… a knife. He then said, "Listen up. We're keeping you here on account of the boss' orders. But all I was told was not to kill your ass. So basically, I'm free to keep you under control any way I want. It ain't got to be pretty. Wouldn't that be surprising if you, say… lost an eye or two."

He placed the blade near Majima's eye. "Apologize." The man threatened, "Cry like a baby and say you're sorry."

Majima then said, "Can't."

"What?" The man cried,

"I only bow my head to my boss an' the men I respect." Majima replied,

"So you want this?" The man asked, grimly

"Rather lose an eye than bow to you, bitch." Majima replied back,

"If you insist." The man said, and then he lifted up Majima's head and… He stabbed the knife on Majima's left eye! Majima was screaming in pain as the man continued to torture Majima…


	11. E3C1: The Parasite of Hakujou

(A/N: The protagonist for this part of the story is Nobunaga Asakura, the otaku nerd of Hakujou who is now a policeman. Here's a bit of information about him in the actual anime series:

"Nobunaga is a childhood friend of Yuuto who attends the same private high school, though is in the class next to his. He has a cheerful and openhearted personality, gets very good grades, and is considered a bishounen by the female students. However, he is a hardcore otaku and is familiar with the layout of Akihabara. He is extremely famous in various places in Akihabara. Due to his enormous amount of purchases, he is known as "Kaiser" at the Animate store, and is one of three people who possesses the golden Animate card. At a maid café where Haruka once worked part time called "Home ~Café", there is a picture of him shaking hands with the manager of the café, framed in gold with the caption "Welcome home, our greatest master" hung in the center of the café. Covertly, he knows what is going on between Yuuto and Haruka. "

Now, he's a policeman working with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Community Safety division, keeping an eye out of any goings on in both Kamurocho and Akihabara. He still loves anime and manga, much to his superiors' chagrin, especially Junji Sugiuchi. He is secretly working on the case that his parents were working on before their death, regarding the incident at the Nogizaka mansion that the Ueno Seiwa Clan orchestrated.

Mika Nogizaka, also known as Aoi in the early parts of the story, appears here. Here's her description in the actual anime series:

"Mika is Haruka's younger sister in her second year of junior high school. Her hobbies include playing the violin, playing squash, caring for wild pigs, and spying on her sister and Yuuto. She has a personality that is the exact opposite of her sister's, who is naïve. She enjoys Yuuto's company and she often calls him "Onii-san" (an affectionate word meaning brother, brother-in-law, or a brother-like male figure). When Haruka is with Yuuto, however, Mika likes to tease them. In contrast to her airhead older sister, Mika is very stable. Even at her young age, she is more knowledgeable about sex than Haruka, although she will get shocked or stunned mentally if exposed to H-rated material just like her sister. She shows some interest in Yuuto after their date. She is deathly afraid of ghosts. She has been running for the student council president of her all girl school for two consecutive years. She is just as much as an idol as her sister at school and is known by the name _Moonlight Strawberry._ "

Also, there's a piece from this chapter that came from a fanfic from the anime series, "Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan" [a.k.a. Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan].

And now, our feature presentation...)

Episode 3: The Angelic Fox

(第三部: 天使の狐)

Chapter 1: The Parasite of Hakujou

(一章: 白城のダニ)

Today was June 19th, 2010. Two men, one that is in his late 50's and the other in his young adult years sat together on a table, during the lunch hour. The old man slapped the table. "Answer me!" He yelled, "Why were you in front of NPC?"

The young green-haired man in a white shirt with a winged fox emblem on both his short sleeves and a red tie said nothing. "Your goddamn prints were all over the stiff's chin!" His superior cried out, "You ever heard of gloves?"

The young man still did not say anything. "Hey, asshole." The superior cried out, "Are you even listening to me?" No response. He yelled as he slapped the table, "I asked you a goddamn question!"

The young man began to pant and giggle… "Huh?" The old detective cried, "What is wrong with you?" Turns out that the young man was listening to something on his earpiece.

"Shit!" The detective cried and removed the earpiece

"Huh?" The young man cried,

"What the hell are you listening to?" The old detective cried. On the earpiece, it blasted out an audio drama, and what the detective heard was "Oh my God… Dokuro-chan, please don't stop…"

"Anime bullshit? Now?" The old detective cried, "They let you pull this shit at Community Safety?"

"Now, let's not blow this out of proportion, OK?" The young man finally said,

"Huh?" The old detective cried,

"We're done here, right?" The young man asked, "I'm kinda busy today." He then got up to leave the room.

"Busy?" His superior cried, and then he said, "Hey, Asakura."

The young man, whose full name is Nobunaga Asakura, sighed and turned to his superior, Junji Sugiuchi. "What now?" Nobunaga asked,

"Lemme give you a piece of advice." Sugiuchi warned, "Don't go sticking your nose where it don't belong. That got your parents killed, didn't it?"

Nobunaga looked at Sugiuchi's shoes. They were plain black dress shoes. "What?" Sugiuchi asked, "You looking at something?"

"No…" Nobunaga said, with composure, "It's nothing, but… thank you for the advice." He turned to leave, but Sugiuchi asked him, "Where you going?"

"I'm going on patrol." Nobunaga answered, "That's what Community Safety does, right?"

"Bullshit." Sugiuchi replied, "What, are you shaking down illicit shops for hush money?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination." Nobunaga replied and then said, "Take care." He then opened the door and closed it behind him.

Sugiuchi then said… "Fuckin' parasite."

* * *

Nobunaga walked down a hallway. A police officer chased him, "Hey, Asakura! Asakura, wait!" Nobunaga heard him and turned around.

His superior panted, and then said, "Boy, am I glad I caught you."

* * *

"What's going on, Chief Hisai?" Nobunaga asked his senior superior, wearing red-framed glasses and has a flattop haircut.

"What's up?" Hisai cried, "You went to an anime convention during your patrol yesterday!"

"I did?" Nobunaga asked, "Hmm…"

"This isn't a joke!" Hisai begged, "Please, don't hang out at those places while you're on duty."

"OK, fine." Nobunaga replied,

"Someone called saying you took them for tens of thousands of yen." Hisai reported, "What do I say to that?"

"Who'd you say called that in?" Nobunaga asked,

"I didn't!" Hisai cried, "I can only imagine what you'd do to the guy if I did."

Nobunaga said nothing. "Anyway," Hisai continued, "Think of the position you're putting me in here. What would I say to your parents? And I stuck my neck out pulling you into Community Safety, you know."

"Sorry." Nobunaga replied and bowed,

"Just try to stay on track, OK?" Hisai asked and then he left.

* * *

Nobunaga travelled to the Pink Street entrance in Kamurocho. He crossed his arms and thought, "Hmm… Now, I have to find out who ratted me out to the force. I guess a good start might be the Club SEGA at Theatre Square."

Nobunaga then ran north to Taihei Boulevard. Then, he turned right and ran straight on until he reached Theatre Avenue. He then ran inside Theatre Square and walked through the doors of Club SEGA, an arcade centre in Kamurocho.

Inside was a small room with arcade games, a crane game known as the UFO Catcher and an interactive quiz game called "Answer x Answer". He then spoke to the manager. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Hello, Detective Asakura." The manager said, "You here to play today, too?"

"Not today, sir." Nobunaga answered, "I wanted to know if you remember who saw me at Kamuro-Comiket yesterday at the Kamuro Theatre."

"Hm…" The manager said, "I'm pretty sure there was one man whom I'd never seen before. I think yesterday was the first time there. The other two were regulars. They come by the event, year after year." He then pointed at the Answer x Answer machine. "They're playing that game over there today."

"Right, I remember now." Nobunaga replied, "Thank you."

"My pleasure." The manager said, "Is something wrong?"

"No." Nobunaga reassured, "It's nothing. Forget I asked."

"If you say so…" The manager replied, now feeling concerned for his regular. Nobunaga walked over and then said to the two men, "Got a moment?"

One young man cried, "Oh, Detective Asakura! You sure cleaned us out yesterday with you nabbing the rare goods from the "Clumsy Aki-chan" series! Back to do some more damage on the crane game?"

"No, I'm here for some answers." Nobunaga replied, "Are you the snitch?"

"Snitch? What do you mean?" The young man asked,

"Save it." Nobunaga retorted, "The chief said someone filed a complaint about yesterday at the Kamuro-Comiket event."

"C'mon, Detective!" The young man complained, "That wasn't the first time I lost my chance to go meet with the seiyuu of Aki-chan, you know! If I was gonna snitch, I would've done it a long time ago. Plus, I don't even want to know what you'd do to me if I did." Then, he turned to his friend. "Right?"

His friend replied, "Absolutely! I can always earn back the stuff the following years. The damage you do would probably be a lot more permanent."

"You got that right." Nobunaga replied,

"Oh, but what about that other guy who was there at Kamuro-Comiket?" His friend asked, "I wouldn't be surprised if he did it."

"Yeah." The young man replied, "He seemed like he was hurting for money. I bet he was pretty pissed when you dropped in and steamrolled us."

"Huh. So where is he now?" Nobunaga asked,

"Oh, uh, he's—" His friend began,

"Wait a second!" The young man cried,

"What?" Nobunaga said,

"Listen, Detective Asakura." The young man cried, "This isn't official police business, is it? Why should we give away this information for free?"

"Oh, right!" His friend cried, "This is a great chance to recoup some of our losses from yesterday!"

"Aw, come on, guys…" Nobunaga moaned,

"Well? What's it going to be?" The young man asked,

"All right, fine." Nobunaga said as he kicked air, "Name your price."

"I won't ask much. Like I say, I don't have a death wish." The young man said, "How about two AiAi dolls they have at the crane game over there?"

"Fine…" Nobunaga agreed, not liking the idea, "AiAi dolls it shall be."

The young man chuckles and then said, "Thanks, detective. We just want the prizes. That's all I'm asking for."

Nobunaga walked over to the crane game and inserted the ¥500 coin in the right machine with the small cute monkey dolls lined up on three shelves. He moved the crane to the second shelf. He lowered it and... It hit the AiAi doll and it fell down into the prize door!

"That's one down." Nobunaga thought, "I just need one more."

He moved the crane to the third shelf. He lowered it, and... It hit the AiAi doll, but it didn't fall in the hole.

Nobunaga sighed at his missed attempt. 'I can do this!' he thought and moved the crane to the third shelf. He lowered it and... It grabbed not one, but two AiAi dolls! Both of them were let go from the crane as they fell into the prize door. "Wow…" Nobunaga thought, "I think I overdid it… I'll keep one."

He walked back to the two men near the Answer x Answer game. The young man said, "Hey, Detective Asakura. You got those AiAi dolls yet?"

Nobunaga answered as he took them out, "Yes, I have them right here."

The young man was given the dolls and then said, "Thanks, Detective. Now… the other guy that was at the Kamuro-Comiket event was Iida."

"Yeah, Iida." His friend replied, "Can't say we know the guy that well, but we've seen him around."

"He doesn't have a job right now or anything." The young man said, "But he said that he usually hangs out at the Shichifuku Parking Lot."

"Over on Shichifuku Street, then." Nobunaga deduced,

"Right, right!" The young man's friend cried, "Not sure what is it he does there, though. But he said that's where he makes his money to get stuff at anime conventions."

"OK, got it." Nobunaga replied,

The young man continued, "He was super pissed after you left yesterday. Said you weren't going to get away with this and crazy stuff like that."

"Yeah! He was kind of freaking me out, honestly." His friend cried,

The young man then warned, "He's a pretty big dude, too. I wouldn't want to be in his way when he's mad. Anyway, that's about all we know about him."

"OK." Nobunaga replied, "I'll swing by the Shichifuku Parking Lot and pay our friend Iida a little visit. Find out if he's the guy who narked on me."

"Well, come back and hang with us at the next convention, Detective!" The young man cried, "We'll get you next time!"

Nobunaga chuckles and then said, "Sure, I'm always happy to come clean you guys out." And then he left Club SEGA.

* * *

Nobunaga ran east to Theatre Avenue and then turned right on Shichifuku Street. He entered a parking lot and noticed a crowd, gathered around a large man. Nobunaga spotted the man in a black and white sport jacket and said, "Hey, you."

"Finally, we got a challenger!" The man cried, "Glad to see somebody's got the balls! They call me the Artful Dodger. Land one punch within a minute and you get ¥50,000. Only costs ¥3,000 to play. Want to give it a shot?"

Nobunaga was quick to answer, saying, "Hell no. Do I look familiar to you?"

"You…!" The Artful Dodger cried, "You're the guy at the Kamuro-Comiket yesterday!"

"Yep." Nobunaga replied, "That's me. Now, I have a question for you. Got a minute?"

"Piss off!" Iida cried, "I don't know nothing! And I didn't rat on you!"

"You're not too bright, are you?" Nobunaga retorted, "But thanks for saving us both the time. Now is the part where I teach you a lesson for being such a sore loser."

Iida laughed and yelled, "Go ahead and try! You can't touch this, bitch!"

"You're joking, right?" Nobunaga asked,

"I said, go ahead and try!" Iida yelled, "Or are you afraid that you can't do it? I'm normally an all-out fighter, but today I'm all in, baby. I'm gonna rain punches down on your ass like a hurricane!"

"Good luck with that." Nobunaga replied, "Now, get ready to get your ass kicked."

"OK, game on!" Iida yelled, "Come get some, bitch!"

Nobunaga stepped backwards as he got into his fighting stance. Iida threw a punch, but it was blocked. He tried a kick, which hit Nobunaga in the gut, taking him down. "Son of a bitch…" Nobunaga cried as he got up

Then, Iida tried a punch, but it was parried easily. Nobunaga dodged the attack and pushed Iida further. He did this a few more times. Then, Nobunaga delivered three punches and a kick in the gut. Iida dropped down slowly. Nobunaga then picked up a long iron pipe and smacked Iida four times in the body and the head, bringing him down. Nobunaga then finished him with the same attack with the long iron pipe.

* * *

The crowd left. "Shit…!" Iida cried,

"You like that?" Nobunaga taunted, "You want some more?"

Iida groaned and said, "S-Sorry for ratting you out. I won't do it again."

"Damn right you won't." Nobunaga replied, "Why'd you do it in the first place?"

"Well, it's like this." Iida answered, "I've been living as the Artful Dodger for years here in Kamurocho. But there's this one scary-looking guy in a gray suit who challenges me to a fight every year. And every year I end up losing. Each time, I train harder before fighting him again, but I can't seem to beat him. Same with a young man in a blue suit! So I started hanging out at anime conventions to take my mind off it, but I ended up getting hooked. Turns out, I love anime and manga! But just when I started thinking loving anime and manga might be a good way to make a living, you had to come along and spoil the fun. I can't even get one fuckin' rare item thanks to you! So I was pretty pissed, what with the Artful Dodger thing and the otaku thing going all to hell. So I picked up the phone and… yeah. Anyway, I'm ready to suffer the consequences. Do your worst, I don't care!"

"Eh, I'm over it." Nobunaga said, after hearing everything,

"What?" Iida yelled,

"I'm saying you're free to go." Nobunaga clarified, "After all, it's not like you're still out to get me. And besides, I got a few good punches in. Let's just call it even."

"Oh, uh… OK." Iida replied, "Thanks, pal."

"Just watch it." Nobunaga warned, "Rat me out again, and you won't get off so easy."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Iida cried, "I wouldn't dream of it!"

Nobunaga thought, "Right. Well, at least I got to work out some aggression. All right, I should be on my way to Homeland and back home…"

Nobunaga ran south on Senryo Avenue, but someone cried, "Gotcha! Is this your first time here in town? You can't just wander around aimlessly, you know. You never know when you'll be accosted by real violent types – like us!"

The street hoodlum who yelled at Nobunaga grabbed his back and attempted to punch, but Nobunaga easily dodged it. Nobunaga easily defeated the street hoodlum with his punching. He then targeted his cohort and bashed him out with his punching.

The first street hoodlum cried, "L-looks like we picked the one guy even more violent than we are. Here. This will make up for it, right? Please say yes." He gave Nobunaga an Iron Plate. Nobunaga looked at it and said, "I can't use this, but by selling it, I might get some money…"

He rushed off south towards Taihei Boulevard and then he turned right. He walked into a restaurant, inside a kitchen, through an alleyway and walked two flights of stairs until he reached a shop. He found a man waiting outside. "Hey, how's business?" Nobunaga asked him,

The man sighed and said, "Not again, Detective Asakura…" He then surrendered a wad of money to Nobunaga.

"Always a pleasure." Nobunaga replied when he received it.

"Our agreement was once a month!" The man cried, "Don't do me like this. Cut me some slack here."

"The new girl you got in last week… is she Korean?" Nobunaga asked, "Let me guess… an exchange student?"

The man did not reply. Nobunaga continued, "Everyone knows it's illegal to work without a work visa. But did you know it's a crime to knowingly hire them, too? Aiding and abetting, they call it. It's nasty stuff. It's either three years or ¥3 million if they catch you."

"Come on, cut me some slack here." The man cried,

"Word is, you take advantage of the fact your girls can't come running to the cops." Nobunaga replied, "You looking to add rape to your resume?"

No response from the man. "Well… maybe another time." Nobunaga replied, "For now, let me know if you see this girl."

The man looked at the photo. It was a girl that had orange hair with the flower hairclips and ponytails. "Who is she?" He asked,

"Can't say." Nobunaga responded, "Police confidentiality and all that. Just make sure to call me if you see her. Take care." And then he walked off, down the alleyway and down a flight of stairs. He entered an apartment building in the alleyway and opened the door.

* * *

He walked into his home on the fifth floor. He decided to lay down on his bed for a bit. He then said out loud to himself, "Mom… Dad… am I going down the right path? Since I left Hakujou, it's been a whirlwind of good fortune for me… But, I'm not sure if I can enjoy it alone…"

He then placed the money on the table. "This should be good enough for the rent here." Nobunaga said out loud,

He then sat on his desk and opened his "Nocturne Girl's School Lacrosse Club" notebook and decided to write down some thoughts for the day. He wrote:

"Today was an unlucky day for me. It seems that Sugiuchi is still grilling me about the dead body at the back of NPC. I'm a cop. How come I have to be questioned? But then again, that whole thing about a random punk dying turned into a big mess. Now, there's a fight within the Tojo Clan. Why is Homicide Division being involved anyway, hm? Then, there's the Ueno Seiwa Clan. That's the same yakuza group that my parents investigated after the "Ueno/Nogizaka Assault". And I heard there was a secret survivor other than Haruka Nogizaka… It's her sister, Mika. She's gone missing since the incident. The last page I remember from my parent's notebook was "Meet with Mika Nogizaka"."

Just then, he received a phone call. Nobunaga picked it up. A man named Park asked, "Is this Detective Asakura?"

"Speaking." Nobunaga replied,

"This is Park, the manager at Midori." He replied,

"Midori?" Nobunaga asked, "Oh, that's right. The Korean salon. What do you want?"

"Can you come by the shop right away?" Park asked,

"Why, the police raiding the place or something?" Nobunaga asked,

"No, nothing like that." Park answered, "It's about that girl you've been looking for. Someone who looks just like her is here right now."

"Are you serious?" Nobunaga asked, now shocked

"That's why I'm calling." Park cried, "Hurry up before she leaves!"

"OK. I'm on my way." Nobunaga said and hung up. He then thought, "So much for my R&R. I have to go to Midori now."

* * *

Nobunaga went downstairs and outside. He thought, "I have to head to Midori. Maybe the girl who arrived is the one I'm looking for."

He rushed out of the alleyway and right out onto Pink Street. He then turned left. He made another right at Taihei Boulevard. He then rushed south into Nakamichi Alley. He then made a right and saw Park, in his nice black suit. Park said, "Ah, Detective! She's still here."

"Can you get her for me?" Nobunaga asked,

"Sure, but, um…" Park replied, nervously

"What?" Nobunaga asked, "Is she here or not?"

"No, she's here." Park replied, "It's just…"

"If you have something to say, say it already." Nobunaga pressured,

"If the girl in there is the one you're looking for, um…" Park said,

"Yes?" Nobunaga asked,

"How about skipping the usual raid next month?" Park finally asked,

Nobunaga did not answer. "I couldn't handle another one right now!" Park cried, "A bunch of new Korean workers just arrived. Please, Detective!"

Nobunaga finally said, "Just make sure you pay them."

"Huh?" Park cried,

"Don't just work them hard and then hang them out to dry." Nobunaga replied, "Make sure they get paid their fair share. Do that, and I'll see what I can do about the next raid."

"Yes, yes, I will!" Park cried, "I promise!"

"OK, then." Nobunaga said, "Please bring her out here."

* * *

The young girl came outside and said to Nobunaga, "Um, the manager said you wanted to see me?"

Nobunaga looked shocked, but he maintained his composure and said, "Wow…"

"What?" The girl asked,

"Some people hardly change at all, even after two years." Nobunaga replied,

"Excuse me?" The girl asked,

"I've been looking for you for a long, long time." Nobunaga said, and showed the girl the same photo.

* * *

Nobunaga then asked, "You're Mika Nogizaka, right?"

Mika said nothing. "I need to know something about what happened two years ago." Nobunaga said,

"I-I don't know anything about that!" Mika cried,

"No need to get all worked up." Nobunaga reassured and showed Mika his badge.

Mika gasped then cried, "I told you I don't know anything!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Nobunaga cried, "What's wrong? Relax!"

Just then, Mika gasped. Nobunaga turned around to see a group of yakuza gangsters. "We finally got you, you little bitch!" one of them cried,

"The Shibata Family!" Mika cried as Nobunaga walked over,

"Shibata Family?" Nobunaga asked,

"You've been giving us the runaround, but that loaner's not here to save you today." The Shibata Family gangster cried, "Now, let's go. The boss is waiting."

"Sorry, pal." Nobunaga retorted, "But I was here first. You mind coming back later?"

"Haw?" The Shibata Family thug cried, "You got some attitude. Guess we'll have to do you first!"

Nobunaga punched the sumo thug multiple times. He then bashed him with a jumping overhead punch after four punches. He then picked up a sign and bashed three men with it. It soon broke into two pieces. He eventually defeated the sumo thug. Nobunaga then picked up the "Midori" sign and slammed it over a thug's head and he tossed both items to the side!

Nobunaga then did three punches and a kick on a thug. He then picked up a board and smashed it over a thug's head! He punched him in the stomach twice before bashing one in the head.

Nobunaga focused on the last thug and bashed him with four punches and a jumping overhead punch. He finished him by bashing a trashcan over his head.

* * *

Nobunaga thought, "Shit… What a waste of time." He looked around and thought, "Hey, where'd that young girl go?"

Then, he yelled at a fallen thug, "Hey, asshole! Where's the girl? You people took her somewhere, didn't you?"

"Ha! You're too late!" The fallen thug cried, "She's probably with the boss by now."

Nobunaga got angry. He yelled, "You son of a bitch! Where'd they take her? Answer me, or I swear…!"

The thug chuckled and then said, "We're just here to buy time. They're probably at the Tokyo Bay docks by now. Wonder what they're doing to her right now… Nothing good, knowing the boss."

"Shit!" Nobunaga cried, and then thought, "I have to take the cab over to the docks." He then rushed off to the nearest cab, which is near the Pink Street entrance. He rushed east on Nakamichi Alley and turned right onto Pink Street. He then said to the cab driver, "Docks, please and step on it!" He then paid ¥710 for the fare.

* * *

Nobunaga arrived at the docks and found five men waiting for him. Nobunaga thought, "Shit… That girl is close by. I have to trod through these guys first!"

Nobunaga went after a thug, smashed him with two punches and a jumping knee. After the jumping knee, he tossed him to the side! Nobunaga then focused on the pink suit man who tried to attack. He parried the strike and rushed off to another thug. Nobunaga attacked him with a quick punch and a backhand chop. He did the same attack to another thug with a baseball bat.

Nobunaga rushed to a freight cab and waited for the pink suit man to rush him. The pink suit man rushed at Nobunaga. But, his attack as parried and he hit the cab and slumped down. Nobunaga then attacked a thug with three punches and a kick. He followed up the kick by running to the thug, climbing on him and… SNAP! He broke his arm in two!

"Wow…" Nobunaga thought, "These submission attacks I have pack quite a punch!"

Nobunaga then grabbed the thug with the baseball bat, wrapped him in an armlock position, pulled him forward and tossed him down. Nobunaga then went after the thug with a kodachi, smacked him with four punches and two kicks. After the roundhouse kick, he followed it up with a flying kick to the head, taking the thug out!

The baseball-wielding thug got up. Nobunaga just parried the pink suit thug near the freight cab that knocked his attacker down. Nobunaga finished off the baseball bat-wielding thug with four punches. Nobunaga saw the pink suit thug rush at him, and he parried the attack. Nobunaga then followed up with his two punches and a jumping knee that knocked down the pink suit thug.

"Gee…" Nobunaga thought, "I'm not being challenged at all." The pink suit thug cried, "That hurt like a motherfucker!"

The pink suit thug rushed at Nobunaga again, only to be parried and knocked down by the freight cab. He got up and tried a body punch, only to be parried and struck by Nobunaga's three punches before falling down.

The pink suit thug got up and pushed his body forward, but it caught air. Nobunaga then attacked him with three punches and a kick. When the kick connected, he ran to him and… SNAP! He snapped his arm!

The thug got up and tried a rushing punch. Nobunaga saw it and parried it near the freight cab. He then attacked the thug as he was dropping with two punches and a jumping knee. Then, Nobunaga stepped on his face!

The pink suit man fell back near a gate breaking it down. Nobunaga walked closer and then the pink suit man rushed off. Nobunaga picked up the baseball bat and chased after him, until… A truck sped by and was about to run over Nobunaga until… He dodged it! It skidded to a stop and four men got off the truck from the back. Nobunaga looked at the fifth man. He thought, "That guy doesn't quit, does he?"

Nobunaga bashed him quickly with the baseball bat. He smashed more heads with the bat. Nobunaga smashed the pink suit thug's kneecaps, winded up and… POW! He smashed the pink suit thug's head with full force, taking him out. Nobunaga then quickly defeated the other thugs with his punches, kicks and submission throws.

Nobunaga proceeded towards a passageway, but quickly noticed that heavy beams are falling on him! He quickly dodged out of the way. He proceeded and then… a door opened and revealed four thugs in worker's clothing. Nobunaga quickly defeated all four of them.

Then, Nobunaga ran through another corridor and noticed a thug with a big metal keg. The thug tapped the keg and kicked down it down. It was dripping oil along the path. Nobunaga took out thugs along the path. He ran, but slipped and fell on his back! "Aww! My shirt!" Nobunaga thought as he got up, "It's dirty!"

Nobunaga tried running again, but he slipped and fell. "OK…" Nobunaga thought as he got up, "I better try walking before I get even more dirty and then hurt myself."

While carefully walking on the oil-slicked path, Nobunaga quickly defeated the five worker thugs. He walked carefully along the path, and just then, he noticed a worker thug above the freight cabs. He turned the lighter on. Nobunaga cried, "What?"

The worker thug dropped the light right on the oil and… The oil burned into flames! Nobunaga ran to the nearest corridor exit and... He managed to escape the flames! Nobunaga then quickly dispatched six gangsters, including one with a machine gun. Nobunaga kept running through the corridor and dodged the next set of beams that almost fell on him.

Nobunaga approached a warehouse, but he saw a group of gangster thugs. Their leaders were the one holding the katana and the one holding a pistol. Nobunaga dodged the pistol shot, and parried a sword strike from the leaders. Nobunaga ran to the pistol-toting leader and did a quick punch and a backhand chop which dropped him. Nobunaga then parried the sword strike from the katana-wielding leader near the warehouse's wall.

Nobunaga saw the pistol-wielding leader get up, quickly evaded the low sliding kick, and smashed him with three punches and a kick. He followed up the kick by running up to the pistol-toting thug, climbing on him and… SNAP! He snapped his arm!

Nobunaga quickly evaded a jumping slice from the katana-wielding thug. He grabbed one of their underlings and smacked him with a long kick. Nobunaga evaded a gunshot and repeated the backhand chop combo attack on the gunman. He then parried the sword attack from the swordsman and smashed him with two punches and a jumping knee.

The gunman got up and tried a high kick, only to be parried by Nobunaga. He then smashed him with four punches and two kicks. After the roundhouse kick, he followed it up with a flying kick to the head!

The gunman cried, "I'm not done yet!" He then tried to shoot Nobunaga, but he ducked. Nobunaga reacted quickly to the swordsman's strike and grappled his arms. The gunman fired three shots… hitting the swordsman's back! Nobunaga pushed him further towards the gunman as he kept shooting his comrade. Nobunaga pushed down the thug, grabbed the katana and… He stabbed the gunman, killing him in the process!

"I'm not done… yet!" The swordsman cried as he got up.

"Why won't he die?" Nobunaga thought as he stepped back. He parried the sword attack and followed up with four punches and a jumping overhead punch. The swordsman flopped up and… POW! Nobunaga delivered a knee to the head!

Nobunaga grabbed a thug, got him in an armlock, pulled him forward and tossed him down. In the process, he knocked down a few thugs in his path, including the swordsman. Nobunaga parried a couple of attacks from an underling and the swordsman leader. Nobunaga missed on the one punch, but his backhand chop connected! He then grabbed the swordsman by the legs, tossed his body down, and… SNAP! He snapped the swordsman's head!

Nobunaga then defeated the other four underlings with his combo attacks and rushed inside the warehouse.

* * *

Nobunaga waited outside a door in the second floor of the warehouse, where he heard voices. "Our plan is on track." A man said, looking at the window in the room, "Just lay low and everything will be fine." He then turned to whomever he spoke to. "Got it, Asahina?"

"Yes, sir." Mai Asahina nodded towards her boss, Shibata.

"Chairman Dojima will never dream we're hiding you here." Shibata said, "Quite the bargain for one little finger."

Mai giggles, "You mean that little charade of yours?" She could tell that her boss had kept all his fingers intact.

Shibata then said, "I'm meeting with Katsuragi tomorrow afternoon to work out the details of the truce."

"Where will that take place?" Mai asked,

"Kamurocho." Shibata answered, "Some place called Café Alps."

"I see." Mai replied, "But do you really think it's a good idea to meet in Kamurocho? There's a risk that the Tojo Clan Headquarters will discover the link between you two."

"It'll be fine." Shibata replied, "Katsuragi and I have a perfectly good reason for meeting. If we're seen, people will think I'm still apologizing for the incident."

"Of course." Mai replied,

"Hmph." Shibata said, "But I do see why it might worry you. Especially with this girl and the unexpected headaches she's caused." He turned towards Mika who is tied up and gagged.

* * *

Shibata walked over to Mika, ungagged her and said, "Hard to believe that you're the one behind the string of murders stirring up Kamurocho. Why are you targeting my men?"

Mika replied, scared, "I had no choice. I didn't think I'd ever be able to get ¥100 million selling that golden piano."

Mai looked at Mika very sternly. Shibata touched her chin, saying, "Hm? What are you babbling about?" He observed her face. "Hmm… Not bad at all. I can see how a man might be seduced." Mika pushed her head away.

"Sir, that's enough." Mai asked, politely to her boss. "We now know she's responsible for killing the Shibata Family members. Let's kill her now. I'll take care of it myself."

Mika grew extremely scared that she might die at the hands of a Tojo Clan yakuza. Shibata replied, "What's the rush?"

"Sir?" Mai replied,

"I'd like to know why she's been going around killing our people." Shibata replied, "And…" He ripped off Mika's shirt to reveal her bra. "…I'd like to get a taste of her fatal attraction." Mika grew extremely scared that Shibata is taking advantage of her. He continued to fondle her until… BAM! A gunshot erupted and Shibata grunted. He fell to the side. Mika gasped. Nobunaga looked on. Mai held her pistol at Shibata.

Shibata looked angrily at Mai. She then said, "You've outlived your purpose."

"Wh… What are you doing?" Shibata cried, "Asahina!"

"No need to worry." Mai replied, "It's all part of the plan."

"Wha…?" Shibata grunted,

"Her job isn't finished yet." Mai replied, "I… or should I say, "we" need her still."

"We?" Shibata cried,

"Correct." Mai replied, "Katsuragi and I… and our collaborators."

Shibata grunted and cried, "You… You turned over to Katsuragi?"

"Please, don't get the wrong impression." Mai replied, "I was never in your group from the start." She then shot Shibata twice. Mika gasped in fear.

"I'll give you this message before you die." Mai said,

Shibata gasped. "The incident two years ago… You conspired with Katsuragi. Correct?"

Nobunaga looked on. Shibata still was groaning and dying as blood was dripping from his body. "You helped him because you wanted to move up the Tojo Clan ladder." Mai continued, "But you've used the truth to extort favours from Katsuragi ever since… One too many favours. You're nothing but dead weight to him now." Mai walked over to Shibata and aimed her gun at his head. Shibata continued to gasp in fear… "Goodbye." Mai finally said,

Just then, the door busted open. Nobunaga appeared and cried, "Police! Drop your weapon!"

"Shit!" Mai cried and tried to shoot Nobunaga. He hid for cover. Nobunaga heard Mai running. He saw the door open. Nobunaga thought, "That girl got away!"

He then saw Shibata and yelled, "Hey! Hang in there! Did you plan the assault on the Nogizaka mansion two years ago? What really happened two years ago? Tell me!"

Shibata soon died. "Shibata! Answer me!" Nobunaga yelled, but he had no response now that Shibata is dead. He got up and cried, "Fuck!" He was left shaking his head as Mika watched on…


End file.
